Farmers Day Celebration In Dormaa East

The farmer who took home one motor tricycle, one knapsack, one farmer’s overall working dress, two pair of Willington boots, two bar of key soaps, three machetes and a certificate as his award, qualified with the following enterprises: 4 acres of plantain farm, 10 acres of cassava, 3acres of cocoyam, 22acres of maize, 11acres of cocoa, 1 acre of orange and 16acres of cashew farm. Others include 16 goats, 72 pigs, 34 turkey birds, 3000 layer birds, 32 house fowls / local birds, 100 cockries, 18 guinea fowls, 60 rabbits, and 100 snails.

Aside from his wife and four children, he has additional 12 dependents. He supports in training other farmers with his skills and experiences and supply water freely to his community.

Apart from the 1^st and 2^nd runners-up, other categories of awards included the best physically challenged farmer and the best staff of the District Agriculture office as well as the best cashew farm and best planting for food and jobs awards.

The District Chief Executive, Hon Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman in an address, shouted ‘ayekoo’ to all farmers of the land for their selfless and dedicated hard work which has ensured sufficiency in food production and increased productivity in cash crops and others for export. He disclosed that 205,700 cashew seedlings were distributed freely to farmers across the district this year alone to create a sustainable raw material base to later serve the vision of one district one factory initiative among other things.

He also added that the Dormaa East District has received central government support to raise 500,000 coffee seedlings which would also be distributed freely to farmers across the district this coming farming season. The DCE explained that already, 40 people have been employed to man the coffee seedling sites located at Akontanim, Kesepa and Merennfiwuo all in the district. Aside these, he noted that the Wamfie cocoa station under the Ghana Cocobod is raising two million, four hundred thousand (2,400.000) cocoa seedlings out of which Dormaa East alone would benefit 850,000 seedlings and even that, the Assembly is trying to lobby for more than that for their farmers. He added, on top of it all, plans are far advanced for the siting of a poultry processing plant by government which would process 1000 birds per an hour, at Nsesresu under the able leadership ADF Farms, a well noted poultry farm in the district.

Hon. Agyeman reiterated how fortunate the district has been to have benefited from all these initiatives and to also gain access to one of the just three processing plants being sited in three regions of the country namely Eastern, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo. He was very optimistic the bird processing factory would create jobs and expand the economy and make life better for people in the district and the region as well.

The DCE was very grateful to government and leadership of the district for the numerous opportunities that have come the way of the district in just two years reign of the NPP government. he called on the people of the district both home abroad to come together and work for the vision of the government to move Ghana Beyond Aid through Agriculture a reality for all.

The District Chief Executive ceased the opportunity to commend Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Aseadeyo Agyeman Badu II for making available 600 acres of land for the cultivation of maize to feed the poultry industry in the area. He also commended Akontanim boys at Libya who have return home to make the most out of the opportunities made available in the Agriculture sector by the government and to form an association to educate the youth against the needless need of travelling through the desert to Libya and elsewhere in search of greener pasture. The DCE who launched the Akontanim Libya Boys Association called on others to emulate their example for the better of this country. He also commended the Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation Hon. Williams Kwesi Sabi, for his contribution to the success of the farmers’ day by donating Willington boots, cutlasses and deep Freezer to the awardees.

LINDA OSEI-FOBI
ISD
DORMAA EAST- WAMFIE.