Benjamin Yeboah is municipal best farmer for 2020

Forty-nine-year-old Benjamin Yeboah from Mem emerged as the Atebubu-Amantin municipal best farmer for 2020 at the farmers day awards held at Jato Zongo.

The winner a junior high school graduate with 26 years of farming experience cultivates 30 acres of maize, 10 acres of cashew, 6 acres of cowpea, 5 acres each of garden eggs and cassava, 4 acres each of yam and mango, 3 acres each of rice, okra and teak, 2 acres of pepper and an acre of acacia woodlot.

He also keeps 130 local fowls, 30 goats, 30 beehives and 25 sheep.

Benjamin took home a certificate, a tri-cycle, one full piece wax print, a pair of wellington boots, a knapsack sprayer, one radio set, one T-shirt and 2 each of cutlasses and bars of key soap.

In a welcome address, the Atebubu-Amantin municipal director of the Department of Agriculture Mr George Amanyoh said the theme for the celebration ‘ensuring agribusiness development under COVID-19, opportunities and challenges’ was chosen to reflect the importance of the agricultural sector to economic development.

“As we are all aware agriculture has been the main economic backbone of the nation. The lesson of covid-19 has created a new sense of awareness about building a strong food system that ensures resilience and less dependence on food imports,” he said.

The Atebubu-Amantin municipal chief executive Hon. Edward Owusu said in line with government’s commitment to the growth of the agricultural sector the assembly received 103,155kg of seed maize (hybrid), 28,350kg of seed maize (OPV), 8400kg of seed rice and 67,750kg of soybeans for this year under the planting for food and jobs program.

He indicated that the municipality benefitted from a total of 155.270kg of NPK fertilizer as well as 36,580kg of urea.

The MCE said under the Planting for Export and Rural Development initiative, 100,000 cashew seedling were distributed to farmers by the municipal assembly free of charge adding that a warehouse has been constructed at New Kokrompe to deal with issues of post-harvest losses.

Nineteen other individuals and institutions were honoured for emerging tops in various crops and animal categories.

They received assorted prizes including farm implements, radio sets, wax prints, water pumping machines and motorbikes.