Farmers Day: 10 Farmers Awarded In Ningo-Prampram

The Ningo-Prampram District Assembly (NIPDA) on Friday took its turn to reward hard working farmers on the occasion of the 34th National Farmers Day celebrations.

The NPDA has awarded 9 persons and one organization for their outstanding contribution to agriculture in the District on Farmers Day.

This year's Farmers Day celebration was on the theme, "Agriculture, Moving Ghana Beyond Aid".

The 10 were made up of best livestock farmer, best crop farmer, best farmer based organization, best physically challenged farmer, best youth farmer, best fish farmer, and the best extension officer.

They all recieved certificates, table top fridge, canned Tuna flakes, cutlasses among other items specific to their jobs.

Madam Rita Yooke Oman, emerged the overall best District Farmer, while Mr Alidu Yahaya and Madam Esther Ayi Tsotsoo, took the second and third positions respectively.

Mrs Oman received a certificate, double deck fridge, 32-inch flat screen television, half piece of cloth, one Knapsack sprayer, one wheelbarrow, five pieces of cutlass, two wellington boots, one preset radio, 10 bottles of agro chemicals for maize and vegetables, among others.

Seventy-year old Madam Oman who is a mother of 10, had 35 acres of pepper, 20 acres of tomatoes, 30 acres of watermelon, okra, in addition to 53 cattles, 70 goats, 45 turkeys, 70 guinea fowls, 50 local fowls among others.

Mr Kwame Boadi-Asamoah, Ningo-Prampram District Director of Agriculture, giving an overview of agriculture in the district, said a total of 4,981 hectares of land on the average were cultivated in the year 2017 for major crops.

Mr Boadi-Asamoah added that crop production performed generally creditably better in 2018 compared to that of 2017 especially for vegetable production.

He noted that the District had about 23,259 cattle, 12,662 goats and 4,995 sheep as well as an estimated number of 4,400 pigs.

Major challenges facing agriculture in the sector, he indicated, included the lost of arable and cultivated land to estate develooers and infrastructural development, sand winning activities destroying arable lands, high cost of farm mechanization, deplorable state of Dawa dam, and high electricity tariffs at the Dawhenya Irrigation Scheme, among others.

Mr Jonathan Teye Doku, Ningo-Prampram District Chief Executive, reading the President's message, congratulated farmers and fisher folks for contributing their quota to the coubtry's economy and feeding the nation.

Mr Doku encouraged them to take advantage of government's programme, "Planting for food and job" to expand their jobs and earn appreciable income.

He further cautioned them against illegal fishing and farming practices to ensure quality food for all.

---GNA