Charity Akortia from Agona West District of the Central Region has been crowned the 2023 National Best Farmer at this year’s National Farmers Day celebration in Tarkwa.
The 57-year-old woman took home GHC1 million with other prizes.
46-year-old Theophilus Ezenrane Ackah from Jomoro in the Western Region and 58-year-old Kwaku Yeboah Asiamah from Bono East Region placed 1st and 2nd runner-up respectively.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who handed over the prizes to the overall top three best farmers stated that new dynamics in the agricultural sector call for new changes.
He said farmers and the agriculture sector are the cornerstones of the Ghanaian economy.
“As we celebrate our heroic farmers and Co-actors in the agricultural value chain today, Farmers Day must be an occasion to remind ourselves that the new dynamics call for new strategies to realise our goals of food security, resilience, job creation, poverty reduction, and prosperity”, he said.
“Ghana’s experience in the agricultural front demonstrates the government’s unwavering commitment to transform the sector and place it on a sound footing of accelerated development. These efforts that the government has put in since 2017 have yielded notable success through the flagship programme, planting for food and jobs.
“When you look at the average growth rate of Ghana’s agricultural sector between 2013-2016 was 2.9%, but when we implemented the PFJ in 2017, the average growth rate between 2017 to 2022 was 6%. The significant growth rate enhances school food security, increases job opportunities, and supports emerging industries with raw materials“, he noted.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheamponh, stated that the government is putting in place the necessary steps to continue the advances made in the agricultural sector.
Credit: rainbowradioonline.com
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