Abokobi deserves to host National Farmers Day - Ga East MCE

Abokobi (G/A), Nov. 6, GNA – Mr John Kwao Sackey, Municipal Chief Executive of Ga East, said the selection of Abokobi by the National Planning Committee to host the National Farmers Day Celebration was in the right direction.

He said the unique community which has a Christian-based chieftaincy system, had been associated with farming and food security before the Danish settlers established 15 slave plantations in the Gold Coast of which eight were located in the area.

Mr Sackey was speaking at the opening of the 28 National Farmers Day Exhibition at the forecourt of the newly constructed Assembly offices at Abokobi in the Ga East Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.

He said although urbanization was increasingly depriving the communities in the Municipality of arable land, the community had not given up on farming and was cultivating crops like cassava, yam, maize, garden eggs, tomato, onion and pepper .

Mr Sackey said with the help of Agriculture Extension Officers, farmers were adopting innovative farming methods to cope with the scarce land for farming, grass cutter rearing and zero grazing of cattle to keep them in sustainable business.

He said the Municipality has a vibrant poultry industry supported by feed mills as well as livestock kept by most farmers.

“Farmers also take the advantage of the limited land size to rear grass cutters and rabbits as an alternative source of livelihood.”

Mr Sackey said in line with this year's theme of the celebration, “Grow more food; strengthening farmers based organizations for market place bargaining power”, the exhibition serves as a platform for farmers to learn and share new technologies and ideas as well as build networks for future marketing of produce.

He said Ga East has a number of tourist sites with the potential of rivaling some of the well known sites in the country.

According to him, Abokobi, was the settlement of the early Presbyterian missionaries where one Zimermann lived and first translated the Holy Bible into Ga, adding,”The unique chieftaincy system operated in Abokobi where the church and the traditional political institutions work together is also the envy of many.”

GNA