From left : Mavis Hawa, Dr Bawumia, Charity Akotia and Bryan Acheampong
Charity Akotia, a 57-year-old woman who hails from the Agona West District of the Central Region has been crowned as the National Best Farmer for 2023.
She was crowned at the 39th National Farmer’s Day Celebration, held at the auditorium of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa under the auspices of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) on Friday.
The theme for this year’s farmer’s celebration was “Delivering Smart Solution for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience”.
In all, 15 farmers were awarded for their dedicated services to the nation.
The over all best farmer took home a cash prize of one million Ghana Cedis sponsored by the Agriculture Development Bank ( ADB).
A 57 year-old mixed farmer was grateful to the government for the recognition and urged her colleague farmers to take advantage of the government’s initiatives geared towards increasing productivity to increase their yields.
She promised to invest the money in her farm business and other corporate activities.
Theophilus Ackah from the Western Region, also a mixed farmer, emerged as the First Runner-up and was given a tractor, trailer and sprayer.
The second runner up award was taken by Kwaku Yeboah Asumah from the Bono East Region. He went home with a tractor and implements.
Other award categories included National Best Female Farmer, National Best Physically-Challenged Farmer, National Best Livestock Farmer, National Best Fish Processor, National Best Fisher and National Best Cocoa Farmer.
Their prizes ranged from cash prizes, and plaques to KIA double cabin trucks.
Mrs. Hawa Koomson, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development announced that the ministry in collaboration with the Norwegian Fish for Development Project, is to develop an on-farm fish feed using local materials.
This, she said would go a long way to reduce the cost of producing cultured fish thereby increasing the profit margin for fish farmers.
“By implementing smart solutions in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, we are not only ensuring the availability of fish for current and future generations but also will contribute to the health and resilience of our oceans,” she added.
“Let us remember that our actions today determine the legacy we leave for tomorrow,” he said.
“The Ministry will continue to ensure that fishers and aquaculture operators have access to the needed inputs for their operations,” she said.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Tarkwa