Having stayed abroad for about three decades and decided to return to engage in agriculture, the 2024 National Best Farmer, Nana Owusu Achiaw Brempong, is a motivation for other Ghanaians in the diaspora.
Currently, Ghanaians in the diaspora are seeking advice and support from Nana Brempong and some have already relocated to engage in agriculture.
Interestingly, Nana Brempong, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of North American Farms, is not only a motivational factor for those in the diaspora, but he is also a role model for youth in Sekyere Central District of the Ashanti Region.
Outgrower model
His interest in youth development, especially in his community, has led to the development of an outgrower programme, where he provides farmlands, provides farming inputs such as improved seeds, fertiliser and chemicals and in some cases, cash advances.
He bears the entire expenses and the beneficiaries take care of the farms such that when they harvest, he buys everything at the market price after deducting the cost of everything he pre-financed and the net is divided equally between each farmer and Nana Brempong.
This is the farming model Nana is challenging the government and those who are capable to venture into because the youth are now showing interest in agriculture.
Surely, it is one way to get the youth into farming, knowing that even though they would not contribute anything in the form of financing, they stand to rake in such huge sums of money.
Currently, 20 young farmers—each allocated 10 acres—are benefiting from the model, under which his company pre-finances all activities from land preparation to harvesting. The farm then deducts its expenses, and the remaining proceeds are shared equally with the farmer.
Invest in machinery
Sharing his thoughts on farming in Ghana, to mark the end of his reign, he advised the government to invest more in machinery to help entice the youth into agriculture.
He said even though he agreed with the call for the youth to venture into agriculture as a business, “at times it is difficult to ask them to go back to the land”.
He questioned how the youth could go into agriculture because “the days of cutlass and hoe are over now and so, the government should bring in a lot of machinery”.
“Currently, the smallholder farmer cannot even feed himself or herself. So, the government should promote commercial agriculture in the country,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
He appealed to the government to subsidise farm inputs, especially for commercial farmers, noting that elsewhere, commercial farmers were given fuel subsidies for their farm machinery, “but here we buy it at retail price.”
Nana Brempong questioned how the farmers could be competitive, citing, for instance, that this year, he spent over one million cedis on diesel alone.
Speaking on galamsey, the former National Best Farmer expressed concern that Ghana had deviated from its God-given potential, adding that the focus had shifted heavily towards minerals, oil and other non-renewable resources, neglecting the sustainable potential of agriculture.
He lamented the destruction of arable lands, forests and water bodies, warning that the unsustainable path could lead to a future where essential resources such as drinking water would have to be imported.
Commendation
Nana Brempong, however, acknowledged and commended the government’s strong commitment to agriculture, noting that many key figures in government, including the President, were farmers themselves.
He also commended the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, for his capability in managing the sector, particularly during the period of the presentation of the prizes.
Nana Brempong mentioned that after receiving a dummy check of one million Ghana cedis as part of the award, it took him approximately eight to nine months to actually receive the prize.
