Friday Declared Holiday

The Ministry of Interior has announced Friday as a statutory public holiday.

Friday marks Farmers’ Day.

In a brief statement signed by the sector Minister, Ambrose Dery, it said, “The general public is hereby reminded that Friday, 2nd December 2022 which marks Farmers’ Day is a Statutory Public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.”

Farmers’ Day in Ghana was instituted in 1985.

“It was created by the Provisional National Defense Council, which, at the time, made up the whole of Ghana’s administration. The day came as a result of the 30% growth of the farming industry the year before. The country suffered from severe droughts in the early 1980s, which impacted crop yields. Ghana, which was largely dependent on the farmers to feed the nation, faced starvation and malnutrition. On the economic front, the country’s G.D.P. was also suffering immensely.

“However, the drought ended in 1984 and the country slowly recovered, recording an impressive 30% growth in the industry. The fisheries also flourished at the time. In order to recognize the plight and hard work of all Ghanaian farmers and fishermen, the politicians decided to hold a Ghana Farmer’s Day every first Friday of December. During the election years, the day is moved to the first Friday of November,” according to Nationality Times.

It reports that the first Farmers’ Day in Ghana was held in Osino in the Eastern region of Ghana. Osino was chosen as the prime location because it had been affected by the droughts the most severely.

Subsequently, the following years have seen celebrations held in other locations that were also negatively impacted.

This year’s Farmers’ Day will be held at the Jubilee Park in Koforidua in the Eastern Regional under the theme, “Accelerating Agriculture Development through Value Addition”.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini