A 93-year-old man, who was adjudged the Overall Best Farmer in the Ashaiman Municipality for the year 2016, has expressed worried about the indiscriminate sale of farmlands in the area by the relevant authorities.
He therefore urged the Ashaiman Traditional Council and the Municipal Assembly to reserve land for farming.
Alhaji Abdul Malik Yaba, who rears cattle, sheep, Guinea fowls, donkey, has 10-acre maize farm and four-acre mango plantation.
He made the appeal when he was crowned the Overall Best Farmer for Ashaiman at the 32nd Farmers’ Day celebration.
For his prize, he took home a Wellington boot, four cutlasses, fridge, television set, wax print, knapsack sprayer and a certificate.
A total of 11 farmers received prizes during the programme.
The citation accompanying the award stated that the father of 27 started farming at the age of 25 when he was a cowboy.
At a tender age, he stated trading in livestock in Burkina Faso, Kumasi and Ashaiman. He currently employs seven young workers on his farm and also offers financial support to onion farmers.
Ibrahim Baidoo, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ashaiman, in a keynote address, stated that Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has supplied ASHMA with crop seeds worth GH₵204,360 for onward distribution to farmers whose fields were destroyed by floods in June 2015.
He said that the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) intends to attract more youth into the farming through the establishment of Farmer Service Centers to provide tractor services for farmers.
“The farmers are only to register at the service centers where they would be issued with identity cards to benefit from the service.
Mr. Baidoo sounded a warning to unscrupulous people who smuggle fertilizers to neighbouring countries to sell.
“Let me hasten to state that the law would not spare anybody who indulges in such nefarious practices in the municipality. When caught, they would be dealt with severely to serve as deterrent to others.”
On his part, Nii Annan Adjor I, Regent of Ashaiman, who chaired the occasion, assured the farmers that land would be reserved purposely for farming.
According to him, a committee comprising the Assembly, Traditional Council and the farmers would be set up to ensure that farmers have adequate land to farm.
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