The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in collaboration with Mehak Company Limited and Covenant Farms, has announced international sponsorship packages for the Overall National Best Farmer and the National Best Poultry Farmer at the 42nd National Farmers’ Day Celebration in 2026, offering winners fully sponsored study and exposure trips to Italy.

The announcement was made as part of preparations for this year’s Farmers’ Day celebrations, with the Ministry describing the partnership as a reflection of a shared commitment among stakeholders to recognise excellence, innovation and resilience within Ghana’s agricultural sector.

According to the Ministry, both Mehak Company Limited and Covenant Farms have pledged transformative international exposure packages designed to give Ghana’s top farmers firsthand experience of advanced agricultural practices abroad.

Under the arrangement, the winner of the Overall National Best Farmer 2026 award, sponsored by Mehak Company Limited, will receive an all-expenses-paid seven-day international agricultural study and leisure trip to Italy for themselves and a spouse or partner.

The trip is intended to expose the winning farmer to modern European agricultural technology, sustainable value chains, and innovations in agricultural processing.

Separately, the winner of the National Best Poultry Farmer 2026 category, sponsored by Covenant Farms, will undertake a similarly structured seven-day technical and benchmarking trip to Italy.

This package will focus specifically on modern poultry farming practices, along with sustainable and innovative systems relevant to the poultry sub-sector.

“These packages are designed to expose our gallant and noble farmers to modern farming technologies, processing innovations, and smart agricultural.”
MoFA

Purpose Behind the Packages

The Ministry explained that both sponsorship packages have been carefully designed to expose Ghana’s leading farmers to modern farming technologies, advanced processing innovations, and smart agricultural systems currently in use in more developed agricultural economies.

The initiative is intended to go beyond ceremonial recognition, offering practical, hands-on learning opportunities that award-winning farmers can bring back to their operations and, by extension, the wider agricultural community in Ghana.

By combining recognition with international exposure, the packages aim to strengthen the long-term impact of the National Farmers’ Day Awards, positioning them not merely as annual honours but as platforms for knowledge transfer and capacity building within the agricultural sector.

Diplomatic Groundwork Already Completed

The Ministry disclosed that it has already completed the necessary diplomatic arrangements to ensure the smooth execution of these travel packages.

Negotiations with the Italian Embassy have been finalised to facilitate successful travel for the eventual winners of both award categories, removing potential logistical or visa-related obstacles ahead of the trips.

This groundwork reflects a coordinated effort between government and the private sponsors to ensure that the promised international exposure translates into a seamless experience for the farmers once they are named winners at this year’s celebration.

In its announcement, the Ministry expressed deep appreciation to the management of both Mehak Company Limited and Covenant Farms for their contribution, describing their involvement as setting a new benchmark for private sector support toward agriculture and the National Farmers’ Day Celebration.

The Ministry’s statement noted that such partnerships demonstrate how private agribusiness players can play a meaningful role in strengthening national recognition programmes, complementing government efforts to celebrate and motivate farmers across the country.

Context: The 42nd National Farmers’ Day

National Farmers’ Day is an annual event held in Ghana to honour outstanding contributions made by farmers and fisherfolk to the country’s agricultural sector and food security.

The event typically features award categories at both regional and national levels, recognising excellence across various farming disciplines, including crop production, livestock and poultry farming, and agribusiness innovation.

This year’s 42nd edition of the celebration is expected to attract significant attention, partly due to the scale of the international sponsorship packages now attached to two of its most prestigious categories, the Overall National Best Farmer and National Best Poultry Farmer awards.

As preparations for the celebration continue, attention will now turn to the eventual announcement of this year’s award winners, who stand to benefit not only from national recognition but also from a rare opportunity to study advanced agricultural systems abroad.

The partnership between MoFA, Mehak Company Limited and Covenant Farms is expected to set a precedent for future collaborations aimed at rewarding and empowering Ghana’s farming community through practical, internationally oriented incentives.