’2007 Best Farmers On National Tour

By Edmund Mingle

Tuesday, 04 December 2007

SEVENTY-two best farmers and fishermen selected from across the country for prizes at the 2007 Farmers Day, have started a tour of some facilities in the country.
As part of the facility visit, the best farmers were taken to Akosombo to familiarise themselves with operations at the Volta River Authority hydro-power generating plant, as well as the Volta River Transport Company.
They are scheduled to visit the Cocoa Processing Company and the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority at Tema today.
They will be honoured at the 23rd National Farmers’ Day to be held at Wa in the Upper West Region on December 7.
It has the theme: "Ghana @50: progress and challenges of sustainable agricultural development."
Yesterday, the farmers called on Hannah Nyamekye, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, at the start of their tour.
During their interaction, Ms. Nyame-kye commended them for their contribution towards national food security. "We cherish your efforts and we celebrate you," she stated.
She said that the awards are to recognise and honour farmers for their contributions to the development of the agricultural sector.
She, however, encouraged them to put in more efforts to achieve adequate national food security, and assured them of the government’s continuous support.
The National Best Farmer will win a three-bedroom house, to be built at a place of his or her choice. It will be funded by the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
A number of pick-ups, tractors and other farming and fishing implements will go to the runners-up.
Last year, Mohammed Tetteh Akpah, from Afienya- Mataheko in the Greater Accra Region, was crowned the overall National Best Farmer at last year’s celebration at Nkawie, in Ashanti.
Akpah also received a fully-furnished three-bedroom house financed by the ADB at a cost of ¢650 million.
Agriculture contributes about 36 per cent to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employs 50.6 per cent of the economically active population, and provides 52 per cent of Ghana’s total foreign earnings and about 10 per cent of total revenue.