15 October has been declared the national Farmers Day.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the declaration upon recommendations from his Cabinet of Ministers, during a meeting held on Tuesday.

Deliberations were held on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture on changing the date to observe Farmers’ Day, to 15 October.

The day is observed annually to celebrate and acknowledge contributions and hard work exerted by local farmers to ensure food security and promote employment in the farming industry.

Since 2009, the day was initially observed every year on 10 August, however, a new date has been designated, citing “several reasons” owing to which celebrations were pushed back in previous years.

The day aims to instill the love and interest for farming in younger generations, as well as older generations. Further, farmers from different regions of the country may come together to discuss challenges and ways to resolve issues facing the farming industry. It allows policy makers and industry stakeholders to gather and hold discussions.

With this decision, the Farmers’ Day will be celebrated a day prior to the internationally celebrated World Food Day, on 16 October. The day is celebrated around the globe in honor of the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.