The General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana, has congratulated Ghanaian farmers for their dedication and resilience, noting that they work under the scorching sun, through floods and droughts, often with limited tools, inadequate extension services, and little social protection, yet continue to sustain the nation’s well-being and contribute significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Farmers’ Day remains a day of national pride, a moment when the nation pauses to honour the citizens whose hard work feeds the country, sustains the economy, and whose resilience has kept Ghana standing even in difficult times.

In a statement issued to mark this year’s National Farmers’ Day celebration, GAWU acknowledged the relentless efforts of farmers in battling unpredictable weather conditions, market volatility, high input costs, and other challenges within the agricultural value chain in order to feed the nation.

The statement, signed by the General Secretary, Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, also commended the government for the initiatives introduced—such as the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA)—to uplift the agricultural sector.

“We have seen, for example, greater commitment to mechanisation, improved support for irrigation schemes, and efforts to revive the ‘produce-what-we-eat and eat-what-we-produce’ philosophy.

“Together, these initiatives demonstrate government’s commitment to strengthening agriculture, creating opportunities for youth, and ensuring food security for the nation.

“Today, as we join the nation in celebrating our hardworking farmers under the theme ‘Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future,’ we make a complementary but urgent call affirming our long-standing position that ‘Farmers’ Day is meaningless without the establishment of a Ghana Agricultural Service’,” the statement said.

GAWU stressed that this call aligns with the theme’s emphasis on the need for structures that support food security, local production, and sustainable livelihoods for a robust and self-reliant agricultural sector.

However, the Union warned that Farmers’ Day risks becoming merely ceremonial unless Ghana institutionalises agricultural support in a concrete and decisive manner.

To this end, GAWU reiterated its call for the establishment of a dedicated Ghana Agricultural Service (GAS), a permanent, professional service to drive policy formulation, extension, research, and implementation while consolidating gains in agriculture as a pillar of national development.

Citing parallels with the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service, the Union noted that the agricultural sector equally deserves a specialised and professional structure.

This is particularly important, GAWU argued, because without a permanent service to coordinate policy, extension, research, and implementation, agricultural policies often remain reactive, ad hoc, and lacking in long-term continuity.

“Agricultural workers know the soil, understand the seasons, and appreciate the challenges, yet their voices are too often missing in policy design,” the Union added.

This year’s theme urges the nation to “feed Ghana” and “secure the future.” According to GAWU, that future cannot be secured through temporary measures.

A Ghana Agricultural Service would provide the institutional foundation needed to deliver sustained extension support, monitor progress, and ensure accountability.

In line with this proposed structure, and to support the success of this year’s theme, GAWU called on the government to address critical issues such as the recruitment of agricultural graduates to strengthen extension services.

The Union described the current ratio of farmers to extension officers as deeply worrying.

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