Stories from Alfred Adams
In order to boost production of food and food security in the country, the nation set aside the first Friday in December to award our gallant and hardworking farmers. The celebration takes place at the national, regional and district levels.
As this year national celebration was held at Sogakope in the Volta Region, the Aowin district also held its celebration in Abochia, with 24 different awards given to some selected and deserving farmers.
The category of awards include oil palm, cassava, plantain, maize, tomato, cocoyam, cowpea, pepper, rice, citrus, agro-forestry, acqua-culture, grasscutter, poultry, cattle, piggery and sheep.
The rest are beekeeping, vegetable, best radio presenter on agriculture programmes, best cocoa farmer, best agriculture extension officer and overall best farmer.
Delivering a speech at the ceremony, the District Chief Executive for Aowin, Oscar Ofori Larbi, said feeding the world in 2050, when global population is expected to reach 9.6 billion, presents one of the most daunting challenges of our time.
In the face of climate change, and with limited land and water resources, the private sector, government and civil society must immediately set in motion policies and investments that will increase productivity and reduce waste and loss throughout the agriculture value chain.
This should be carried out by boosting agricultural output, while conserving resources and improving people’s lives. Together, we must identify and implement sustainable pathways to sufficient, nutritious, affordable food and water.
It was in this light that the theme for this year’s celebration ‘Reducing post-harvest loses for sustainable food security and nutrition’ is very crucial.
Mr. Larbi said improving the productivity of agriculture and food systems was an integral part of achieving global food and nutrition security.
It is a tool against poverty and hunger, as well as an antidote to the growing unemployment in the country and worldwide.
It is time to create a favourable businesses, legal, policy and social climates in which our beloved and cherished farmers can thrive.
He said the government would continue to roll out food security and emergency preparedness programmes to reduce food and nutrition insecurity, through modernised agriculture, management of national strategic stocks for emergencies, and the establishment of effective early warning systems.
This would be achieved by constructing and rehabilitating new and existing irrigation fields.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture would continue to implement the youth in agriculture programme.
A total of 45,000 youth will benefit from the block farm initiative, about 50,000 hectares of land is targeted for the production of maize, rice, cassava, sorghum and cowpea, whilst under livestock and poultry, a total of 2,500 guinea fowl keets and 5,000 broiler day-old chicks would be produced to support and increase the capacity of local poultry farmers to produce enough for local consumption.
More cocoa housing would be rolled out next year. A total of GH¢838,000 has already been released by the government to the Department of Rural Housing for houses for farmers, including farmers in Aowin.
The government has demonstrated to the farmers that in challenging circumstances, their interests would always be considered first, he added.
The western-south regional chief farmer for cocoa and shea nut, Mr. Johnson Mensah, hailed the Ghana Cocoa Board and government for putting in measures to improve the lives of cocoa farmers most especially.
Mr. Mensah lauded the government for continuing the mass cocoa spraying programme, despite the challenges, but appealed to it to start the exercise on time to prevent the swollen shoot disease from attacking and destroying their cocoa.
The District Director of Agriculture for Aowin, Mr. YawAdu, commended farmers for contributing immensely towards the development of the country by providing food, raw material for some of our industries, and foreign exchange from the export of agriculture produce, particularly cocoa.
He said as farmers produce more, there was the need to prevent losses from rot and insect infestation during storage, so that we can keep some of our harvested produce for a period of time.
The 53 year old farmer, Mr. Nicholas Wireku, was adjudged overall district best farmer.
He has 80 acres of cocoa, 4 acres of citrus, 4 acres of cassava, 2 acres of maize, 2 acres of plantain, 4 acres of oil palm, 2 acres of pepper, 102 sheep, 90 poultry, 7 fish ponds and the following farm machines, 10 motorised spraying machines, 8 hand sprayers, 5 farm houses and 12 labourers.
He took away with a motorcycle, one motorised spraying machine, 2 hand spraying machines, one carton of Akate Master, 20 cutlasses, a radio, a piece of GTP wax print, 4 sets of mosquito net and 4 pairs wellington boots.
Some Of The Prizes
The DCE Presenting The Award To The District Best Farmer