Editorial: A Feather In Cap For Agric Ministry If…

The Anchor sees it as heart-warming, the government’s resolve to tackle agriculture with all the priority it demands and deserves, especially, at this time when the prices of every primary commodity has been on the increase on the market. We also deem it as better late than never, though.

We’d been arguing this within ourselves, even until one recent day’s when the argument broke the glass-ceiling and entered into marketplace through our Editorial comment.

The Anchor, argued trying to decipher wisdom of we, as a nation, often and in fact, all along neglecting our large tract of arable bevy of virgin lands adorning the country-sides, desiring, without success, to woo, to court, and to be defiled and raped for bumper harvest for our barns, stock and stomach.

It is heartwarming learning of government taking delivery of a large cache of agricultural equipment to support small-scale farmers to improve yields and livelihoods; it’s also to boost food production and better the lot of farmers.

The paper expresses this deep gladness at this, because, although Ghana has been blessed with anything and everything that should make its citizens happy people, these citizens always find themselves in economic quagmire, beyond their measure.

Today, primary commodities like okra, onion, tomato, pepper, maize, cassava, beans, and even ordinary item like toot-pick are imported, and, in some cases, owing to exorbitant duty tax regime, need to be smuggled in, through clandestine difficulties. The only thing that comes handy and cheapest is voluminous garrulous political talk in theological abandon than practice that demands the order of the day.

The glad tiding, however, is that the government of Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo has last days taken the delivery of a last tranche of agricultural equipment worth $30million; bringing to the finality of $96million farming equipment in a South-South agreement from Brazil. It should be a welcome news.

In our earlier comment, we remember advocating for a vigorous agricultural revolution driven by the youth, and called on the church, the schools from upper primary level to tertiary, the security institutions, the prisons, etc.; and, trust, apart from state land (if any) that could be made available for the takeoff and sustainability of the novel programme, no chief being a custodian of stool land would refuse, giving out land for this project.

Let’s first create the necessary awareness amongst our youth that, while agriculture (or farming and fishing and livestocking) doesn’t kill human, they have nothing to lose, but have a lot to win and achieve from mother earth, venturing and investing in it. Let the church advise its youth, let the mosque also do same; make it part of our academic calendar.

The paper is going through all this travail to express this, because, maybe, the danger and human catastrophe, beyond measure we see coming, is oblivious to the political eyes.

See; when we should take up the measuring tape right now and measure the landmass of Ghana, we bet we will never have what the beloved country was measured to, on dependence. The natural phenomenon is that the ocean is claiming back the land loaned human on God’s command and intervention, from creation.

And, when our forests and water bodies are being lost to human habitation and illegal mining as well as other unscrupulous activities, the population (food-eating mouths) continues to explode and escalate with reckless abandon, while as leaders, we narrow our view only on selves.

The last time The Anchor checked, Ghana’s population on independence was somewhat 5million; around 1984, it was 11million, in 1994, around 18million; today as we seem confused about the right demographic compass, a strong element affecting us both positively and negatively, depending on how we present ourselves before it, Ghanaian human-beings are hovering around 35 to 40 million, as against, less independence era, land mass loss, as well as human habitation also creating farmland deficit and, indeed, agriculture-lazy feeling population in the hands of aggressive climate forces and less farm output; a bleak picture the blind needs see and the deaf needs hear.

For lack of editorial space; but to put to you our Exhibit ‘A’ is that, all along the growing population indexes as against the dwindling size of land; we need not forget the fact that, along the journey to where we are now, Keta, Ada, Elmina, Essikado and other coastal brothers and sisters keep on alerting and reminding us that, the Sea has been retaking its land we are indebted to it, since creation and making them homeless and hopeless, in their own Ghana.

Yes; The Anchor also endorses Ghana as ours, but sees it as refreshing palm-wine enjoyed in a borrowed calabash; the calabash owner needs her calabash back. The only thing we feel unpreparedly hesitant to do, however, is to take our Ghana, whither we go with it becomes our trouble, and, Ocean takes back its land. That is our situation.

Therefore, The Anchor, once again pleads with government to ignite and sustain the agrarian-minded revolution and get all of us roll up sleeve, put our hands on deck to be able to feed ourselves and become happy and content people. Only this can help us avert the looming danger and human catastrophe ahead.

Source: Anchorghana.com