(FUNSI) WA EAST : 39-year-old farmer adjudged Regional best farmer

Mr. Kasim Bawule, a 39-year-old farmer from Bujan in the Sissala East District, was adjudged the Overall Best Farmer for the region at the just ended Farmers’ Day celebration held at Funsi in the Wa East District.

Mr. Bawule took away a corn sheller, a cutlass, Wellington boots and a
certificate as his prize.

Fifteen others including four women and a chief were also awarded in such categories as crop production, fish farming and livestock production among others.

Naa Dr. Puobe Chiir VII, the Paramount Chief of the Nandom Traditional Area, emerged as the best millet producer in the region.

The well attended and colourful ceremony brought together hundreds of farmers across the region including Heads of Departments, Religious leaders and Traditional rulers.
    
The Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Issahaku Salia said the day was worth celebrating because it reminded Ghanaians about the major role agriculture plays in the country’s economy.
   
He said with the provision of subsidized fertilizer, the fish capture technology, the credit-in-kind scheme and the mechanisation of Agriculture, farmers in the region were doing well in livestock, fishing and crop production.
   
The Regional Minister said the government was committed to putting in extra measures to address challenges such as high post-harvest losses, inadequate water resources, poor road network and high cost of some agricultural inputs to enhance production.
   
The Regional Director of Agriculure, Mr. Charles Adams said the Block Farming component of the Youth in Agriculture Programme cultivated 10,329.5 acres of land for the production ofmaize, rice, sorghum and soya bean grain.
    
He said this year the programme engaged a total of 6,650 farmers made up of 1,763 women and 4,887 men making an improvement of about 374 per cent.
    
Mr Adams said the Livestock Development Project, which operated in seven districts, provided 4,800 small ruminants to 480 beneficiaries under the Credit-in-kind scheme while the Cash Credit scheme also provided GH¢122,722.00 to 437 beneficiaries in six districts.
    
He said since the commencement of the fertilizer subsidy programme in June 2010, the region had received 46,264 bags of fertilizer.
    
He said though the region experienced drought in June and July followed by floods and bush burning the region was expecting a good harvest.
   
The District Chief Executive of Wa East, Hon. Ameen Salifu thanked the farmers for their hard work and also commended Plan Ghana for supporting 12,419 farmers from the district under the ADRA-EU Food Security Programme.

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