Dr Gyiele Nurah (right) presenting keys to the house to Mr Musah, while Mr Daniel Asiedu (second left), the MD of ADB, and Mrs Musah look on

2015 National Best Farmer receives 3-bedroom house

Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah May - 16 - 2017 , 05:56

A total of 1,370 hectares of crops, covering nine regions of the country, has been affected by infestation of Fall Army Worms (FAW). A Minister of State at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Dr Gyiele Nurah, who announced this, said it was only the Volta Region which was not affected.

According to him, a national task force comprising technical experts from relevant national and international organisations had been tasked to manage and control the infestation of crops by the worms.

“The government will also release GH¢16 million for the procurement of pesticides and other logistics to control and manage the worms infestation.”

Dr Nurah was speaking at the presentation of a three-bedroom house to the 2015 National Best Farmer, Mr Ibrahim Musah, at Asufufu, a suburb of Sunyani, as his prize for winning the award.

Investment environment

Addressing participants in the ceremony, Dr Nurah said the government continued to provide conducive investment environment and support to farmers besides the award of prizes to them.

He mentioned the distribution of agricultural machinery at subsidised prices to farmers, the recent 50 per cent fertiliser subsidy and seed subsidy and the provision of inputs on credit, under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, to farmers as some of the measures put in place to encourage them to increase production and productivity in the agricultural sector.

He commended the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) for supporting the government by sponsoring the National Best Farmers Awards programme and called on other banks to show interest in the programme.

Agricultural Development Bank

For his part, the Managing Director of ADB, Mr Daniel Asiedu, said since becoming the headline sponsor of the award in 2001, the bank had been setting aside the cedi equivalent of $100,000 every year for the construction of a fully furnished three-bedroom house at the preferred location for the ultimate winner.

“Today’s house is, therefore, the 15th to be presented,” he said and expressed the hope that the gesture had encouraged Ghanaians to develop a keen interest in farming and helped boost food and cash crop production in the country.

He said the bank was also partnering the government to support various financially viable projects in the entire agriculture value chain this year, including the recently launched Planting for Food and Jobs Programme.

Youth in agriculture

The Krontihene of the Sunyani Traditional Area, Oboaman Bofotia Boamponsem, who chaired the function, called on the government to consider instituting agriculture clinics for graduates to entice them into the sector.

He suggested that the ministries of food and agriculture, and lands and natural resources took a holistic view about food and crop production to ensure that crops were planted on suitable areas.

Oboaman Boamponsem blamed the depletion of the country forest to the cultivation of maize, which did not require shade, in the forest zone of the country.

Mr Ibrahim Musah

Mr Musah asked the youth not to shy away from the agricultural sector, since it had the potential to make them self-employed in addition to enabling them to create jobs for others.