Shama District rewards 41 farmers for their hard work

Dwomo (W/R), Nov. 3, GNA - Forty-one (41) farmers received various awards at Dwomo in the Shama district as part of the 28th National and 4th District Farmers' Day celebration.   The awards include matchets, Wellington boots, bicycles, pieces of cloth, electric iron and certificates.   A middle-aged man and an experienced farmer, Mr. Albert Tawiah Asemasa emerged the overall district best farmer.   For his award, he took home a bicycle, a pair of wellington boots, half piece of cloth, two matchets, a wireless set, a lamp-side sprayer and a certificate.   Deputy Western Regional Minister, Madam Emelia Arthur said agriculture sector contributes about 35% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and admitted that farmers and fishermen held the key to the survival of the nation.   It is against this backdrop that government established the national food buffer stock to store their products and subsidized agricultural inputs such as fertilizers to make it affordable to farmers.   Madam Arthur said government spent more money to import rice hence local farmers must cultivate more and assured rice farmers whose crops were destroyed during the inland rice project, to bear with government as it finds measures to address their concerns.   She asked farmers, especially the youth to liaise with the district Assembly on guidelines to venture into aqua culture and also urged them to go into animal husbandry.   Touching on the forthcoming elections, she said it was not about war but sharing of ideas, adding that politics should not destroy the structure of the economy.   She asked Ghanaians to vote for leaders they thought could move the development of the nation forward and sustain the peace.   The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Shama, Mr. Enock Kodwo Appiah asked farmers to seek advice on the use of fertilizers from extension officers to improve crop yield. He said the Assembly welcomed farmers who wanted to venture into vegetable production since it would be a lucrative venture as the Western Region was full of immigrants due to the oil and gas industry.   Mr. Appiah used the occasion to appeal to farmers to take the education of their children seriously and was sad that this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination results in Dwomo were appalling.   The District Director of Agriculture, Mr. Kwaku Appiah commended the efforts of farmers in the area to ensure food sufficiency during the year under review.   He advised farmers to put in more effort so as to be represented at the national best farmers’ award category.       GNA... Read Full Story