Over 40 farmers receive awards in Kwahu Districts

Nkawanda No 1 (E/R), Dec. 6, GNA - Over 40 farmers have been given awards at the 25th Farmers day celebration at Nkawanda Number two and Kwahu Besease in the Kwahu West Municipality and Kwahu South District respectively.

They awards include certificates, bicycles, roofing sheets, television sets, cutlasses, pieces of cloth, spraying machines and Wellington boots for their contribution towards increased production of foodstuffs, fish, life stock and poultry.

Addressing the farmers on the theme, "Accelerated Agriculture Modernization for Food Security and National Economic Transformation" at Nkawanda Number two in the Kwahu West Municipality, the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Alex Somuah-Obeng, said agricultural modernization had been identified as an important ingredient, which leads to food security and national economic transformation. He said the lack of processing and storage facilities as well as a market has contributed to huge post harvest losses, denying farmers of the needed profits to increase production. Mr Obeng said to avert the problem; government had initiated sound agricultural interventions such as the block farming system and improve agribusiness and industry to achieve a modernized agriculture in the country.

He said the government recognized the link between agriculture and industry which would lead to poverty reduction and also increased foreign exchange generation for the nation.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkawkaw, Mr Seth Adjei-Baah, was not happy that after 25 years since the introduction of the farmers' award day, the country still imports a greater percentage of its food requirement, such as rice, maize and poultry products.

He therefore urged farmers to take advantage of the government's agriculture modernization programme to increase production so that government can reduce its huge food import bill, which could go into infrastructure to enhance the country's development. The MP advised Ghanaians to purchase locally produced rice and poultry products.

The Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mrs Emelia Nortey, said 100,000 acres of citrus got rotten on the farms last year due to the lack of market and stressed the need for a processing factory to process excess food products. She advised farmers to diversify their crops and cultivate other non-traditional crops such as green pepper, okro and ginger for export, which are in high demand on the European market. Mr Isaac Attah and Mr Samuel Asare Atuobi were declared the Kwahu West Municipal and Kwahu South District best farmers respectively. They were presented with spraying machines, roofing sheets, television sets, a radio, pieces of cloth, cutlasses, Wellington boots and certificates. 06 Dec. 09