<<Print>>

A 50-year-old Pharmacist was adjudged the 2009 Best Farmer in Sunyani Municipality. For his prize, Mr. Joe Bennet, Proprietor of Joe Bennet Pharmacy in Sunyani received a motor bike, spraying machine, a carton of key bar soap, three cutlasses and a pair of Wellington boots. Mr. Bennet who has been in farming for the past 10 years has 55 acres of cocoa farm, six fish ponds, 35 acres of oil palm plantation, a number of livestock and 20 acres of orange plantation. Other 21 deserving farmers received prizes ranging from television sets, bicycles, key bar soaps, Wellington boots, cutlasses, radio sets, wheel barrows and wax prints. Addressing the farmers, Mr. Kwasi Oppong Ababio, Municipal Chief Executive, commended them for their hard work in ensuring national food security. He said farming was an important economic venture and advised the unemployed youth to engage in it whilst the government worked hard to create more job avenues for them. The occasion coincided with the inauguration of a 90 member anti-bushfire volunteer squad. At Dumasua, 54 year-old Kofi Adoma of Chiraa was adjudged the Best Farmer for Sunyani West District and received as his prize four bars of key soap, a knapsack sprayer, a piece of cloth, a cutlass, a pair of Wellington boots, a table top deep freezer and a certificate of merit. Mr Christian Oppong Brenyah, from Tettehkrom emerged the Second Best and took home a table top fridge, a piece of wax print and a knap sack sprayer as his prize. Mr Ruskin Joshua Amponsah from Nsoatre was adjudged the Third Best Farmer and received as his prize a knap sack sprayer, a pair of Wellington boots, a piece of wax print and a 21 inch colour television set. Twenty seven other deserving farmers received as their prizes pair of Wellington boots each, bars of key soap, cutlasses and certificates of merit. Mr. Osei Asigbey, District Executive, noted that "cutlass and hoe farming" was primitive that benefited only the farmer and his family and not the majority of the population. Hence the introduction of the government's ground water development project to enable farmers to draw water from constructed wells to stop the dependence on rain-fed agriculture. He said government had also decided to subsidize the price for fertiliser in order to reduce the cost of food production. Mrs. Joyce Takyi, District Director of Food and Agriculture, stated that government was committed to supporting farmers to produce sufficient and quality food. Eighteen deserving farmers in Dormaa Municipality were honoured at Diabaa near Nkrankwanta. They received certificates, sprayers, wax print, cutlasses, bars of key soap and Wellington boots. Mr Edward Charles Gyamfi, 69 yea-r old retired cocoa service staff emerged the overall Best Farmer and took home two packets of roofing sheets, a bicycle, sprayer, half piece of anniversary cloth, four cutlasses, four bars of key soap and two pairs of Wellington boots. Mr. Vincent Oppong Asamoah, Municipal Chief Executive, called on farmers, especially cocoa farmers, to refrain from engaging children on their farms as the practice would deny them education and ruin their future. Highlights of the celebration included the launch of this year's anti-bushfire campaign. Mr. Atta Ameyaw, Municipal Fire Officer who announced the ban urged traditional authorities, school children and security agencies to assist in ensuring zero tolerance for bushfires this year.