Prioritise Development of roads to farming areas - Rawlings

Accra, Dec. 3, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings has in a statement to mark National Farmers Day called on the government to institute a policy that will prioritise the development of access roads to farming areas to address the perennial problem of farm produce being left to rot away.

He said to encourage more people to stay in farming and attract others, incentives such as good roads, tax holidays, discounted implements and soft loans should be made readily available.

Former President Rawlings said it was disappointing to hear reports of farm produce rotting away in the hinterland because of bad and inaccessible roads and the resultant exorbitant charges by transport operators. He reiterated his call last year for a process to be put in place to ensure that all farmers were given the opportunity to adapt to new technology to improve the quality and quantity of their production. The former President lamented the fact that the cocoa industry which had largely supported Ghana's economy for decades was currently embroiled in corruption and called for strong efforts by the government to ensure that greedy individuals did not derail the efforts made by hard working farmers to sustain the industry.

Touching on the fishing industry, Former President Rawlings said the industry would be completely destroyed if efforts were not made to stem the increasing level of pollution of water bodies through the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and toxic material by both individuals and corporate institutions. He called on the relevant government institutions to urgently put in place mechanisms to stem the embarrassing situation that had also adversely affected Ghana's tourism potential as far as the use of our seashores were concerned. The former President congratulated farmers for their hard work and dedication to providing food for society despite the huge challenges they faced.

"Your role is a patriotic one that is appreciated every time we have food placed on our table. We cannot thank you enough. We count on you to continue to dedicate your lives to this noble role," Former President Rawlings said.