ADB pledges sponsorship of GHS1,000,000.00 award prize to the National Best Farmer 2023

The Deputy Managing Director for Agriculture Development Bank (ADB), Madam Eno Ofori-Atta on behalf of the bank pledged a sponsorship package of GHS1,000,000.00 to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as an award prize for the 2023 National Best Farmer.

Presenting a dummy cheque to the Hon. Yaw Frimpong, Deputy Minister/Chairman of the National Farmers’ Day Planning Committee at the Ministry on Friday, the DMD reiterated the commitment of the bank to enhance its investment in the agricultural sector to improve food security, provide raw materials to agro-based industries, and create employment for the teaming youth in the country.

She added that the Bank was looking forward to making the pledged amount available to the 2023 National Best Farmer for injection into the farming business in areas that would reduce drudgery and make farming more attractive.

The Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Yaw Frimpong Adoo received the ADB delegation, in his remarks he stated that it is important to keep reminding ourselves that farmers and fishers are indeed indispensable in the national economic fortunes. It is hard to imagine our fate without farmers and fishers.

This year’s National Farmers’ Day Celebration therefore provides us with an opportunity to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture practices, celebrate the contributions of farmers, and reflect on the positives, as well as challenges currently impacting the well-being of farmers and Ghana’s agriculture in general.

The theme for this year’s Farmers’ Day Celebration is ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience”. This the Deputy Minister said is appropriate and relevant to achieving food security in Ghana within the context of an increase in population growth and its accompanying food system issues.

Ghana, like many developing countries, faces challenges in ensuring sustainable food security. The country has to grapple with low agricultural productivity, limited market access, and a changing climate. As a result, it is critical to identify and deliver smart solutions that can enhance the food system's resilience and ensure sustainable food security.

Hon. Hon. Yaw Frimpong Adoo outlined the paradigm shift of this year's celebration. The year's celebration would as usual be preceded by a 5-Day National Agricultural Festival, Agrifest Ghana 2023 which is slated from Monday, 27th November to Friday, 1st December 2023. Agrifest Ghana 2023 is expected to be held on the principal streets of the Ministerial enclave in Accra.

The last day of Agrifest which marks the first Friday of December will be celebrated with an Awards Night Ceremony at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Auditorium where H E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana will confer national honors on best-performing farmers and fishers.