The Final Farmers' Day Message Shared by Former President Jerry John Rawlings

• It's Farmers' Day 2021 and Ghanaians are celebrating a day that was set aside for farmers during JJ Rawlings' reign
• The former president gave his final address about farming in 2019 before his demise in the year 2020
• YEN.com.gh takes a look back at what the last words of the former president were to Ghanaians regarding farming

Former president of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings passed on in November 2020, leaving a legacy as a strong advocate for farming.

On his last active Farmers' Day in December 2019, the former president strongly encouraged the youth to go into farming.

This was part of the speech that the former president posted on his official Facebook page as sighted by YEN.com.gh.

He titled the speech 'congratulations to our farmers' and proceeded to deliver a well-written script to mark the 35th edition of National Farmers' Day.

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Rawlings took his time to recognize and applaud the good works the government has done to encourage and promote farming in the country.

He made mention of how the Ministry of Agriculture worked tirelessly to ensure self-sufficiency in food production as well as the promotion of export cash crops.

"The sector Ministry and rice farmers deserve commendation for their efforts at ensuring that we consume local rice," he said.

The respected former president also used the opportunity to commend the hardworking farmers themselves for their continued dedication to their work.

He told them that:

"Your daily toil, under very trying conditions provides our national food requirements, raw material for our industry and export commodities for the needed foreign exchange receipts."

To Ghanaians in general, the former president urged that they commit to consuming locally produced rice and helping improve upon the quality of what is produced.

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Finally, he turned to the youth and recommended that the young and educated ones begin to see farming as a calling. A responsible calling.

He said:

"While urging the private sector to support agriculture, this is a call to the youth, especially the educated young ones to endeavour to accept farming as a responsible calling that is not only rewarding but also of immense benefit to the country."

Meanwhile, Samuel Koku Sitsofe Anyidoho has described the Farmers Day celebration as an event to forever remain the legacy of late President Jerry John Rawlings.

It is recalled that the nationwide event was instituted by then Rawlings-led Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in 1985 and has since been observed every first Friday in December.

Source: YEN.com.gh