Mr Urias Eshun, a 56-year old farmer of Anyaano has emerged as the overall best farmer in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region taken home a tricycle, tabletop fridge, double bed mattress, knapsack spraying machine, a pair of wellington boots, 5 pieces of cutlasses, 32” television set, a wax print and a certificate.
Mr Eshun has 150 acres of plantain, 183 acres of rubber, 10 acres of vegetables,6 hectares of oil palm, 15 acres of maize and 6 cattle among others with 35 casual workers and 10 permanent workers.
Mr Abu Abubakar and Mr Kennedy Nsiah emerged 1st and 2nd runners up respectively while other awards went to John Mensah (Best Cocoa Farmer), Nyameyiekrom Oil Palm Processors Association (Best Farmer-Based Organization), Steven Kobina (Best in Aquaculture), Constance Okloo (Best Agro Processor) and Kwaku Frimpong (Best in Tree Crop).
The rests are Steven Krakue (Best in Food Crop), Fuseini Iddrissu (Best in Livestock), Steven Tawiah (Best Marine Farmer), Abease Tumantu MA JHS (1st Cycle School in Agriculture) and Enoch K. Frimpong (Best Youth in Agriculture). They all received prizes each.
Nana Etsen Kofi II, Chief of Aboade Divisional Area in the Ahanta West Municipality (AWMA) who chaired the ocassion lauded the government for the introduction of the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative since it has brought a lot of improvement in food production and the lives of farmers in the Municipality.
He also lauded the farmers who in diverse ways and self-sacrifice have worked tirelessly to make sure there was enough food in the Municipality and the nation at large.
Mr Emmanuel Ofori Teiko, Ahanta West Municipal Director of Agric announced that the Department recognizes the strength in numbers hence a vigorous training of staff and farmers to form Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs) so that they would benefit from available support.
He wished all the farmers, fishermen and agroprocessors all the best in the pending coming year and expressed the hope that with the support of the Department and their commitment and dedication, farmers in the Municipality will grow and and reap more food and create more jobs in the year 2022.
He added that a total of three thousand, seven hundred and sixty-four (3,764) farmers were trained with some technologies in farming which enhanced their production and processing enterprises.
He said even though the Department was on top of its mandate to deliver agricultural services to its clients, there were some challenges and concerns predominantly on agricultural land acquisition and tenure.
The Member of Parliament (MP) of the Ahanta West Constituency in the Western Region has underscored the importance of the new pension regime for farmers and the need to take advantage of the scheme to better their lot.
He reiterated that the 2022 Budget has made adequate provision to consolidate the food systems in Ghana through the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.
He presented a rice threshing machine to be used by the rice farmers in the Municipality for rice production and a tricycle (aboboyaa) to maize farmers in the Municipality to be used to improve on their farming activities for effective maize production.
Mr Urias Eshun, thanked the government and the municipal authority for the award and said he took advantage of the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative and challenged himself to work hard to garner the ultimate prize.
He opined that farming has become a lucrative business now and when managed well will yield results and therefore called on the youth to embrace agriculture as a venture to avoid being unemployed.
Story: Seth A Danquah
