The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) in the Western Region has awarded sixteen farmers for their hard work and dedication towards the agricultural sector at the 36th farmer’s day celebration held at Diabenekrom, a suburb of Takoradi.
Amongst the sixteen farmers, Mr Moses Roosevelt Arhin received the Best Farmer Award in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and was presented with a motor tricycle, knapsack sprayer, five wellington boots, ten machetes and a bag of lime.
Madam Mary Blay also received the Best Female Metropolitan Farmer Award and was presented with a NASCO tabletop fridge, knapsack sprayer, four pairs of wellington boots, four cutlasses, a bag of lime, half piece of wax print and a radio set.
Meanwhile, the Best Young Farmer Award went to a 28-year-old Mr Richard Amankwaa Sackey, who received a bicycle, a knapsack sprayer, four cutlasses, two chairs, half piece of wax cloth, a radio set and a bag of lime while Madam Faustina Quaicoe was awarded as the Best Physically Challenged Farmer and was presented with a double bed latex foam mattress.
Certificates were also presented to all the 16 award winners in addition to a cash prize of GH¢ 500.00 each, with the Metropolitan Best Farmer getting GH¢ 1,000.
Mr Abdul Mumin-Issah, Metropolitan Chief Executive deemed the theme for this year’s celebration as timely in that the Government was vigorously shifting the focus of agriculture in Ghana from a subsistence farming approach to a business and commercial activity.
He observed that agriculture was not just farming but a business that involved a complete value chain and bewailed how successive governments formulated few policies aimed at modernizing the agricultural sector.
According to him, the menace resulted in many young persons shying away from agriculture and argued that the Government was committed to policies that would make farming one of the most lucrative and enticing ventures to engage in.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
