By Agbaxode Emmanuel
Agornu Kporkplorte (VR), Dec. 2, GNA – The Chief Executive Officer of Delmark Farms and Agro, Mr Edem Ackuaku, was recognised as the overall best farmer in the Akatsi South Municipality.
Mr Ackuaku, who is a 39-year-old farmer, with an MBA certificate in Marketing and a resident of Akatsi, became the overall winner of the 38th Farmers’ Day celebration held at Agornu Kporkplorte, a farming community within the Municipality.
He has over 224.6 acres of farmland covering maize, cowpea, rice, garden eggs, tomatoes, cassava, mango, pepper, African spinach, and woodlot.
Mr Ackuaku has 75 local fowls, 6,000 fish, 30 guinea fowls, 15 ducks, 12 cattle, 11 pigs, five rabbits, four goats, and four dogs under livestock rearing.
On social responsibility activities, Mr Ackuaku was noted for his continuous sponsorship deals for radio shows focusing on agriculture, as well as promoting free education and training programmes for farmers, free planting materials to farmers, inputs to farmers on credit from his Agro input shops and others.
He received a certificate of recognition, a tricycle, two knapsack sprayers, a pair of wellington boot, shovels, machetes, bars of keysoap, and Agro chemicals.
Mr Ishamel Ahadzi, 32- year-old from Lawui-Wugate was given the best Farmer in the Disability category.
Other farmers recognised included 54-year-old Tublu Kofi, a farmer from Sremanu-TubluKope who took the best Livestock Farmer award, Mrs Akua Ahiaba from Kpetraza, winning the best Crop Farmer and Mrs Adzo Woenayor from Agornu Kporkplorte picking the Best Veteran Farmer category.
The rest are, Dakpui Godsway, best National Service Personnel, Foli Divine as best Agriculture Worker, Ngoryiyi Women Processing Group from Dzuepe as best Processing Group.
The awardees were presented with certificates and various farm equipment and machines such as spraying machines, cutlasses, LED type televisions, wellington boots, shovels, laptops and others.
Mr Ackuaku, on behalf of the awardees, expressed gratitude to the organisers of the event and pledged to do more for economic growth in the agricultural sector.
He appealed to individuals and especially, the youth to venture into agriculture to better their lots.
Mr Bernard Ahiafor, Member of Parliament for the area, said farmers played key roles in the employment and labour force.
He appealed to the Government to continue to lead efforts at supporting the farming sector.
Mr Martin Kofitsey Nyahe, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area, assured farmers of the government’s continuous support in revamping the agriculture sector.
He charged the youth in particular to take advantage of government’s flagship programmes such as the Planting for Food and Jobs and the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) to improve their livelihoods.
Mr Charles K. Grunitzky, Municipal Director of Agriculture, in an address, revealed that the Department was making great strides in the various fields of farming in the area.
He said Akatsi South for instance started rice production in 2012 on a five-acre plot but had seen a tremendous increase a few years later.
Mr Grunitzky therefore, appealed to authorities to address the bad state of some dams and dugouts in the area.
“Our first challenge has to do with our dams and dugouts within the farming communities. Existing ones are in very bad conditions.”
He commended the farmers for their hard work and urged them to do more.
The 38th edition of the event was on the theme, “Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition.”
Citations were also given to individuals and groups for supporting the National Day event over the years.
In attendance were Assembly members including Mr Kennedy Biedo, assembly member for the area, some heads of Department, and farmers.
GNA