Anawuokrom (Ash), Dec. 03, GNA – Mr. Kwasi Addae, a 41 year-old farmer from Patrensa in the Asante-Akim Central Municipality, has been adjudged the overall best farmer at this year’s farmers’ day celebration held at Anawuokrom.
He has 26 acres of cocoa farm, three acres of cabbage, 10 acres of maize, two acres of coconut, two acres of oil palm, four acres of cassava, garden eggs, and pepper as well as live birds.
He took home various prizes including knapsack sprayers, wellington boots, cutlasses, weedicides, and a tricycle.
In all, 25 farmers including four women and two farmer-based organisations were recognised for their immense contribution to agriculture in the Municipality.
The theme chosen for this year’s celebration was, “Planting for Food and Jobs -Consolidating Food Systems in Ghana.”
Mr Robert Kwakye, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) said this year’s theme affirmed the government’s plans to make the nation self-reliant by advancing agriculture in Ghana from subsistence farming to boosting investment in the sector, creating jobs, and expanding markets.
He said it was only when agriculture was treated as a business that accelerated economic growth could be attained and urged the youth to venture into agriculture since it was sustainable and had the potential of keeping them in employment all year round.
The introduction of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), he noted, had contributed significantly to the bulk of foodstuffs on the market, adding that the Municipality took delivery and supplied various fertilizers and seeds to farmers under the programme this year.
He said 15,000 oil palm seedlings were also distributed to farmers to cultivate 100 hectares of palm plantation under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD).
“The objective of the initiative is to acquire enough planting material for the proposed One District One Factory (1D1F) oil palm factory in the Municipality,” he stated.
The MCE congratulated all the award winners for their contribution to food security and Ghana’s economy and also impressed on them to step up their efforts so that some of them could win national awards in the coming years.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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