Mr Crentsil, who hails from Ajumako Enyan-Essiam district in the Central Region, was adjudged the top prize for being named the nation’s best farmer in 2016 after 20 years of active farming.

The fully-furnished house, built at the location chosen by the beneficiary, comes with a double leaf metal gate, a kitchen, dining hall, living room, a water storage system and a garage, among other essential amenities.

The ceremony was graced by the Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, Chief of Gomoa, Kofi Mensah and the acting Chief Director at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, alongside management and staff of adb.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Regional Minister applauded adb for their continuous support towards the national best farmer awards over the years.

“[adb] is the institution that has taken upon itself to support this noble course since 2001. For the past 16 years, they have been there to motivate our farmers to make them commit to the job they are doing to feed us. It’s the one and only farmer’s bank, the one and only fisher’s bank, the Agric Development Bank. There is no question about it that, but for the role that they have played since their establishment, I am not sure we would not have developed the agriculture sector to where it is now. I use this opportunity to pat the bank and its management on the back.”

“There is a lot of joy in my soul today, that assuming office just under a year ago, I have the honour to attend this auspicious program, where one of our own is been honoured for the glory he has brought onto himself, onto his community and onto the entire region. I am really proud and I feel happy as the Regional Minister.”

The Regional Minister also acknowledged the hitches in the agriculture sector and the need to modernize it for expansion and creation of jobs.

“This is a government that recognizes that the way to grow our economy and to develop our country is agriculture. There is a major problem of modernising agriculture, and linking agricultural production to industries in order for industrialization, which has been and still remains a core objective of the president and the government,” he said.

“For once there is a need as a country to get the value addition in order to create the much-needed jobs for our teeming youths.”

Dr. John Kofi Mensah, Managing Director of ADB, in his address said, over the past 16 years the ADB, in line with its corporate social responsibility as a bank, has through its funding, produced about 16 fully furnished houses to farmers across the country to help motivate them.

He also revealed the construction of the house was done at a cost of  400,000 Ghana Cedis.

“ADB Bank became the headline sponsor of the National Best Farmers’ Award programme in 2001 and has since then, integrated sponsorship of the awards ceremony in our corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. Since becoming the main sponsors of this important national award, every year, we devote a significant percentage of bank’s budget to sponsor a fully-furnished, three-bedroom house at the preferred location of this ultimate winner. The house today is, therefore, the 16^th to be delivered since the introduction of this ultimate reward for the national best farmer,” he said.

“Today, Mr Robert Crentsil, the 2016 National Best Farmer is being rewarded with his grand prize of a three-bedroom house in this serene Gomoa Apra Valley, valued at an amount of GH 400.000 (four hundred thousand Ghana cedis).”

The Managing Director was of the view that, the bank’s gesture over the years has infused into Ghanaians the need to engage in agriculture which is a major industry in the country.

“I am of the firm conviction that the provision of 16 houses to the national best farmer’s award winners since 2001 has gingered Ghanaians to develop a keener interest in farming and agriculture value-chain businesses and have by extension, boosted food production in the country.

“I am also more persuaded that this laudable sponsorship initiative by ADB in collaboration with MOFA and blessed by the Government has contributed immensely to the interest of Ghanaians in farming,” he added

Presenting the keys to the house, Acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Robert P. Ankorbeah called on other stakeholders to emulate the gesture of adb to bring to an end to poverty and hunger in the country.

“There is, therefore, the need for a concerted effort to promote the development of agriculture in order to reduce poverty and improve the standard of living in the country,” he said.

“I seize this opportunity to urge corporate Ghana particularly financial institutions to emulate the example of the ADB to give more support to agriculture to complement the efforts of the government to modernise and transform this very important sector.”

In an acceptance speech, the 2016 best farmer expressed his gratitude to the government and ADB for the award and advised past winners not to give up the fight to improve and produce more to be deserving of greater awards.

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By: Ann-Shirley/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 2016 National Best Farmer receives fully furnished 3-bedroom house appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. John Enimil, a 35-year-old, who was adjudged as the district’s Overall Best Farmer on Friday, December 1, 2017, went home with four knapsack sprayers, a bicycle, five wellington boots, nine cutlasses, 2 radio sets, a flat-screen TV and a table-top fridge.

Mr. Enimil owns 120 acres of rubber plantation, 52 acres of cocoa farm, 10 acres of sugarcane farm, 10 acres of palm nut plantation, 2 acres of rice farm, 2 acres of cocoyam, 2 fish ponds, 150 of local fowls, 150 of poultry fowls, 85 trees of pea and 360 coconut trees.

Currently, he has a total staff of 15 workers.

Barely a week after receiving his award from the government, Mr. Enimil has returned all his items to the Agriculture Department in the District.

Confirming the news to Ghanaweb, Mr. Enimil explained that the package given to him as the Overall Best Farmer was a disgrace to him and Prestea-Huni Valley.

According to him, “In 2016 the Overall Best Farmer received a brand new tricycle (Aboboya) so I was expecting the same or very important items than this bicycle”, he lamented.

“The District has embarrassed me and there is no way I will take the items again, they should take their items”, he added.

“What pains me a lot is a common certificate they didn’t give me some, and these people think I’m not a human being, they take us the farmers for granted”, he told Ghanaweb.

He also revealed that the Member of Parliament for the area has called him, and pleaded with him to exercise patience as the District is trying to resolve the issue. He, however, says he is unconvinced despite the MP’s call.

Meanwhile, the District Director of Agriculture of the District, Gabriel Adjargo, has declined comment on the matter.
The situation has generated a lot of hullabaloo in the District.

This year’s celebration was under the theme, “Farming for Food and Jobs”.
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By: Ghanaweb

The post Angry District Best Farmer returns award package to gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The regional ceremony took place at Ntotroso on the theme:”Farming for Foods and Jobs”.

Robert Sarfo Mensah was presented with a tricycle, two spraying machines, two pairs of Wellington boots, three cutlasses, two bars of key soap and a certificate as his prize.

Anthony Mensah, the Asutifi North District Chief Executive (DCE) who presided over the event in the region, congratulated all farmers in the district for their invaluable contributions to producing food for the country.

He noted that, government is making efforts to invest in agriculture with its industrialization drive to create the much-needed link between industry and agriculture.

He cited the government’s flagship programmes such as planting for foods and jobs, one district-one factory, one district-one warehouse, one district-one dam, and one constituency, one million dollars as examples of plans to improve agriculture in the country.

He also encouraged the farmers to take advantage of the initiatives.

He noted that the Assembly had taken delivery of fertilizers and improved seeds at a subsidized price for over 2,000 farmers, under the planting for food and jobs programme, and regretted that only 412 farmers have so far assessed the facility.

The DCE observed that over-dependence on traditional methods of farming remained a hindrance to accelerated agricultural growth in the area, and called on farmers to embrace and adopt modern farming techniques to improve their farming activities.

The District Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), James Adu, in his welcome address, lamented the dwindling contribution of the agricultural sub-sector to the country’s GDP, and blamed the situation on inadequate extension officers and logistical constraints.

Whilst commending farmers in the district for producing enough to feed residents, he tasked them to venture into the production of yam and rice whose production is on the low in the district.

The District Best Farmer, who is also the current Director General of the National Sports Council, thanked the government and pledged to personally sponsor an award for the best backyard garden farmer next year, as his contribution to the development of agriculture in the country.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Former Asunafo North MP named best district farmer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.