BR: 41st FARMERS DAY HELD – KOKUMA, KINTAMPO SOUTH.

BY: JANE AKAATALI 

This year’s 41st District Farmers Day celebration has taken place in Kokuma, a farming community in the Kintampo South district of Bono East Region. The programme brought together the chiefs and people of Kokuma and other communities within the Kintampo South district. Also, in attendance were the heads of departments and various security services. In display, there were various categories of farm produce, as well as awards to be presented to deserving farmers.

The function, which was chaired by the Kokumanhene, Nana Oheneba Osei Sarkodie, was mainly sponsored by the Kintampo Rural Bank. The district director of the Dept. of Agric, in her speech, acknowledged the continued hard work of farmers in the area for food sustainability. She indicated that it was hightime farmers recognised farming as a business that is highly profitable and not to undermine farming. She therefore encouraged farmers to channel more energy and efforts into farming so that the country can achieve its aim of ‘feeding Ghana, eating Ghana and securing the future ‘ as depicted by the theme of this year’s celebration. She also highlighted areas such as crop development, livestock development, farmers service centres, food bank development, and institutional farming, among other initiatives as part of interventions being adopted under the Feed Ghana Programme to sustain Agriculture and ensure productivity.

The member of Parliament, Honorable Felicia Adjei, whose speech  read by the constituency communications director, Mathew Atanga, acknowledged the efforts of farmers in the area for ensuring through their hard work that food was always in abundance in the area, being the food basket of the Bono East Region. Hon. Felicia Adjei commended farmers for staying dedicated to the activity, devoid of various challenges such as unassessible roads to market centres, high prices of farm inputs, unstable market prices, post harvest losses among others which contributed to lower income.

It is, therefore, against this background that the government of H E John Dramani Mahama has decided to support farmers in diverse areas. The MP promised to advocate and lobby for better roads, affordable farm inputs, improved seedlings, and many others to support irrigation and create market linkages. She applauded women for the significant role they play in the Agric value chain and encouraged the youth to embrace farming as a business for sustainability. Hon Felicia Adjei seized the opportunity to congratulate all farmers for their unwavering efforts and award winners for staying steadfast. The district chief executive, Hon Wilfred Zuuri on behalf of the president and first lady Mrs Lordina Mahama, who hails from the area congratulated all farmers for for their unfailing efforts to providing abundance of food in the district and the region at large. Hon. Zuuri, elaborating on the theme for the occasion ‘Feed Ghana, Eating Ghana and Securing the future ‘encouraged farmers not to rellent in their efforts to ensure food security and sustainability in the country He commended the people of Kintampo South district for their hard-working nature.

The DCE also added his voice to the call of farmers appreciating and accepting farming as a vocation, which was very lucrative. He assured farmers that there was going to be merchanisation in the district, which will then aid farmers to engage in all year-round farming and not solely be dependent on seasonal farming. He also assured farmers that, through the efforts of the assembly, there will be subsidizatiom of fertilisers to support the farmers and their activities.

Hon Zuuri also mentioned that the government plans to provide the district with tractors and other farm inputs to support and ensure profitability in farming activities. On the governments flagship project, ‘nkokor nkitinkiti’, he assured farmers that the government was committed to the course of the project and was putting measures in place to distribute day-old chickens to every household for the commencement of the programme. He indicated that this would help to minimise the importation of poultry produce and create income streams for the country.

Hon Zuuri, however, assured the chiefs and people of Kintampo South that the assembly was in the process of upgrading the roads leading to market centres to enable easy access and help minimise post harvest losses and wastage. The DCE ceased the opportunity to issue a stern warning to farmers to desist from bush burning and that this could cause the destruction of farm produce in the area. He indicated that anyone caught in such acts will be dealt with according to the laws. Awards were presented to various categories, including best primary schools in Agric, Best Junior High Sch in Agric, and the best faith-based organisation in Agric. A special award was presented to a visually impaired farmer, Mr Opunpuni Wilson, Best livestock farmer award went to Mr Keame Kwabo of Nante and the best female farmer, awarded to Elizabeth Dufie of Beposo. The best crop farmer award went to Akwasi Ameyaw of Kokuma. Second runner up award went to Madam EstherAdwoa Twenewa of Amoma. First runner-up awarded to Mr Ali Muhammed of Pramposo. Hon Amos Nyarko took home a motor king tricycle and many other assorted farm inputs as the overall district best farmer.