The Bawku Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mr Charles Akotigah at the weekend said the area, has had the best food production in the past five years due to good rainfall of 1,286 millimeters that supported the crops to have adequate moisture until harvest.
He said the Municipal Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture received 12,628 bags of compound and urea fertilizers under the government subsidy and that covered more than 4000 acres of land under maize cultivation.
The Municipal Director was speaking at this year’s Municipal annual farmers day celebration at Bawku on the theme: “Transform Ghana, invest in Agriculture.”
He expressed concern about the dwindling numbers of agriculture officers, explaining that the old districts and municipalities had to share their staff with the new, thereby compounding the shortage of manpower.
He therefore appealed to the Government to encourage and support the training of more staff to help farmers increase food production.
Mr Bukari Issaku ,the Municipal Chief Executive , charged the women in the area to invest more into farming as it is the ultimate way to reduce poverty and improve lives.
He urged them to take agricultural activities, especially farming as a business that could generate income for quality livelihood.
Mr Issaku called on municipal and district assemblies and other developmental partners to assist them with support such as logistics, finance among others to facilitate productivity.
He reminded the people of the devastating effects of bush burning on the economy and asked them to desist from it.
This year’s farmer’s day celebration awarded 18 farmers with various prizes including bicycles, motor bicycles wellington boots, cutlasses and roofing sheets, among others.
The best farmer in the female category went to Madam Memuna Gambeogu from the Geogo community.
She received a donkey and a cart, cutlass, wax print, key soap, radio and a certificate while the overall best farmer went to Mr Adamu Adooti, from the Baribari community who went home with a motor bicycle, wax print, key soap, wellington boots, cutlasses, radio and a certificate.
