Mankessim (C/R), Dec 5, GNA - Mr Ato Essuman, a Member of Council of State has commended Mr Kojo Okanto, a 36-year-old farmer with hearing and speaking impairment, and Mr Emmanuel Alornyo, a 25-year-old blind farmer, for winning awards during this year's edition of the National farmers' Day.
Mr Okanto was adjudged the best farmer in the Mfantseman District of the Central Region for cultivating a 20-acre pineapple farm, 10 acres of maize, one and half acres of garden eggs, one acre each of cassava, plantain and tomatoes.
He also had 12 sheep and six goats and received a bicycle, a suitcase, a radio cassette recorder, a pair of Wellington boots, three bars of key soap and two cakes of Geisha soap as his prize. Mr Alornyo received a spraying machine, a radio set and cutlasses as his prize from Krachi East district in the Volta Region for cultivating a 50-acre maize farm.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Mankessim, Mr Essuman was happy that the two gentlemen had defied their disabilities to embark on productive economic ventures. He urged people with disabilities to regard the two men as role models and emulate them.
He commended the Mfantseman and Krachi-East District Directorates of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) for acknowledging the efforts of the two handicapped men. The Council of State Member appealed to people with disabilities who were in the streets begging for alms to go into gainful income activities.
Meanwhile, Mrs Felicia Ansah-Amprofi, Mfantseman District Director of Agriculture has explained why a radio cassette recorder was added to the awards for Mr Okanto who could neither speak nor hear. Reacting to some comments on FM stations about the radio, Mrs Ansah-Amprofi said though the man was deaf and dumb, his wife and six children who helped him in his farming activities were not deaf and dumb.
"The family can interpret any useful news item to the man for him to be abreast with current events", the Director stated.
