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Philip Kweku Agyeman is 2017 National Best Farmer
A 50-year-old farmer from the Dormaa West District in the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr Philip Kwaku Agyeman, was yesterday adjudged this year’s National Best Farmer.
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For his prize, Mr Agyemang took home a cheque for $100,000.
The national best farmer employs casual and permanent farm hands, totalling 205. He has been farming for 28 years and owns a 280-acre farm that comprises 120-acre cocoa farm, more than three acres of fish pond, 95 acres of plantain, seven acres of cashew, five-acre orange farm and seven acres of coconut.
He also has 45,000 poultry and other livestock.
Read also: Women \'sweep\' farmers awards at Tarkwa-Nsuaem
Excitement
Shocked but elated by the announcement that he was the proud recipient of the National Best Farmer award, Mr Agyeman looked up to the skies and thanked God for His mercies.
Mrs Agyeman, who accompanied her husband to receive the covetous national award from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, nearly went down on her knees to plead with a policeman who tried preventing her from joining the husband to receive the honours.
She was being prevented from joining her husband because the area where President Akufo-Addo was to present the award had been demarcated as a security zone.
Eventually, people around, including some award winners, pleaded with the security on her behalf before she was allowed to join the husband to give meaning to the popular saying that “Behind every successful man, there is a woman.”
Support
Speaking to the media, Mr Agyeman who was full of praise to God for bringing him thus far, saluted his family members and community leaders and the government for their support over the years.
He urged the government to continue supporting farmers so that they can expand their business and also make the agricultural sector attractive to the youth.
He called for the release of large tracts of land to prospective farmers to enable them to increase food production for local consumption, feed local industry and for export.
Described as a highly diversified farmer in his 28 years of farming, the national best farmer, whose farm is named Awurade Na Aye to wit, it is God who has done it, cultivates tubers, cereals, vegetables, timber species and plantation crops.
The father of seven believes that irregular rainfall patterns, bushfires and tree felling hinder crop production. He has, therefore, planted tree to serve as windbreaks to curb those challenges, control the problem of logging and also serve as fire belts. He has been staggering the planting of his crops to reduce losses in the event of rain failures.
Awards
Mr Agyeman said he had always been hopeful that one day he would be adjudged the National Best Farmer.
In 2011, he was the second runner-up at the Farmers Day award ceremony.
He emerged the Brong Ahafo Regional Best Poultry Farmer in 2001 and the Best Farmer for the Dormaa District in 1994.
Social responsibility
Mr Agyeman has donated electricity poles from his farms to Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region and sponsored needy, brilliant students in his community.
He has also assisted with the construction of a dormitory for the Nkrankwanta Senior High School (SHS) among other generous activities.
Other winners
The first runner-up was Madam Mabel Akoto Kudjoe from the Hohoe District in the Volta Region.
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Ms Rebecca Anne Commey from the Greater Accra Region was adjudged the second runner-up.
Other award winners included Abdul-Rahman Mohammed from the Upper East Region who was adjudged the National Best Crop farmer.
The National Best Youth Farmer was Richard Awombadek from Builsa South in the Upper East Region.
The award for the National Best Livestock Farmer went to Yussif Bun Baz.
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The National Best Cocoa farmer was Yakubu Osman from Sefwi in the Western Region.
Yaw Logo emerged as the National Best Fisheries Worker, and the National Best Aquaculture Farmer, Joshua Anning.