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The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Mampong in the Ashanti Region, Mr. Thomas Appiah Kubi has admonished the youth and people of the municipality to seriously consider farming as a viable alternative to seeking unavailable jobs.
He said it would be more worthwhile to go into farming than wasting precious time in search for unavailable jobs to no avail.
The MCE explained that farming today has become a serious business where all caliber of individuals and groups are engaged into and getting more good returns, adding that he being a farmer has not regretted going into that.
Mr. Appiah Kubi gave this admonition when addressing farmers during the 39th Farmers’ Day celebration held at Kyekyewere, a major farming community near Apaah in the Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti region.
The MCE pointed out that a number of government interventions has been and continue to be rolled out in the country and Mampong in particular all geared towards boasting agriculture and increase farm yields and reduce post-harvest loses along the value chain. He therefore urged farmers to continue to take advantage of these interventions and patronize them.
Speaking on the significant of the Farmers’ Day. Mr. Appiah Kubi stated series of harsh conditions and laborious processes farmers and fishermen go through in order to provide food and fish to feed the nation and contributing enormously to provide raw materials to feed local industries as well as helping the country to get needed foreign exchange, adding that it is very necessary to celebrate these diligent and industrious farmers during such annual occasion for their immense contribution to the growth of the economy.
On his part, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr. Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong whose address was read for him praised farmers in the Mampong Constituency for their commitment, dedication and sacrifice to ensure food production and processing to enable the country and the municipality have sufficient food.
The MP who is also the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister assured that he would continue to give farmers the needed support as he has been doing over the years to give them the impetus to carry out their farming business.
A 73 year old farmer, who is also the owner of Kyeiwaa Farms, Nana Akwasi Owusu Manu adjudged the 2023 overall Municipal Best Farmer for Mampong Municipality.
He owns 50 acres cocoa farm, 60 acres of oil palm, 20 acres plantain, 30 acres of maize, 10 acres of tomatoes, 20 acres yam, and 10 acres of garden eggs.
Nana Owusu Manu can also boost of 100 cattles, 150 goats, 100 sheep, 120 pigs, 1,000 cat fish, 1,000 tilapia, 20 grass cutters, 30 rabbits, 80 ducks and 60 guinea fowls.
He received One Tricycle popularly called (Aboboyaa), Knapsack Spraying Machine, Assorted Weedicides among other things as well as a cash of GH¢500.00 donated by the Member of Parliament for Mampong Constituency, Mr. Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong as a motivational package to the overall Municipal Best Farmer for 2023.
The Municipal Agric Director, Mr. Osei Tutu disclosed that the theme for the celebration “Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience”, had a lot to offer the country in terms of food sustainability, availability and value addition. He said in consonance with the theme.
The Department of Agriculture has therefore focused its programmes and activities geared towards achieving food security and sustainability, adding that, Agriculture in Ghana and for that matter Mampong Municipal has fully embraced the concept of agriculture as a business and has accorded all the necessary attention that their enterprises deserved.
The Municipal Agric Director said for the theme to become a reality, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and for that matter the Department of Agriculture has therefore outlined a number of programmes to ensure the success of the theme for this year’s famers’ day celebration and the year ahead.
These programmes he said included, improved general extension services, forming, consolidating and training Farmer- Based Organizations (FBOs) across the municipality on adoptive measures to add value to food, identifying, registering and training of potential livestock farmers with a target capacity.
Other programmes were identifying the linkages between the value chain actors as well as distribution of Fall Army Worm chemicals for free and intensive training for farmers and Agric Extension Agents (AEAs) in the area of food sustainability.
Mr. Osei Tutu said the government has rolled out its flagship programme Planting for Food and Job II (PFJ II) with Five (5) main modalities; Food Crops, Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), Greenhouse Technology Villages, Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ), and Agricultural Mechanization Services (AMSECs) and was hopeful that it would be fully operational in 2024 and urged farmers to fully patronize the programme.
The Municipal Agric Director, while congratulating farmers for working hard to ensure food security in the municipality and the country at large and, reminded them that the menace of Fall Army Worm is not yet over and so they must prepare ahead and contact the Agric Department whenever the need arises.
Mr. Osei Tutu further urged all stakeholders in the municipality to support Agric sector to move Ghana and Mampong Municipality ahead by making Agriculture smarter, more productive and increasingly efficient.
Nana Owusu Nkwantabisa II, Kyekyewerehene who represented Daasebre Dr. Osei Bonsu II, Mamponghene who the Chairman for the occasion said the elderly has set and chart the path for the youth to follow as far as farming and agricultural business is concerned and urged the youth to take grave interest in farming.
He disclosed his readiness to support the youth interested in farming with lands to do their farming.
