MoFA presents National Best Farmer with GH¢1m award
The Ministry of Agriculture has presented the cash award of GH¢1 million to the 2023 National Best Farmer, Charity Akortia.
The award was sponsored by the Agriculture Development Bank PLC (ADB). Ms Akortia was named the 2023 National Best Farmer at the 39th National Farmers Day Celebration Awards Night held last December.
Speaking at a ceremony to hand her the award in Accra, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Bryan Acheampong, commended the ADB for being a reliable partner in the development of the agriculture sector.
He also applauded the bank for being the lead sponsor of the National Best Farmer Award scheme for the past 23 years. “Let me congratulate and commend highly our partner, a reliable partner, Agric Development Bank, on consistently being there for us when it comes to the presentation of GHc1million to our best farmer.
“And for a woman feeding and employing quite a lot of people in her agri-business, she deserves a lot of commendation. We wish you well. The ministry is available to support you expand,” he said.
Dr Acheampong said the ministry was ready to help all other awardees and pledged to work closely with them to expand their farms, employ more people and feed the country.
Food, poultry self-sufficiency
The minister, touching on other happenings in the sector, said the country was on track to becoming food and poultry self-sufficient by five years.
“We are currently 15 per cent self-sufficient. We want to move it to 23 per cent this year, 45 per cent next year and on that trajectory,” he said.
He mentioned efforts being made towards that to include the planting for Food and Jobs phase two; improving irrigation farming and enhancing poultry rearing.
“Last year, the private sector brought in about 11 million day-old chicks. This year, government alone, is bringing in 18 million day-old chicks. So if you add that to what the private sector brought then you know where we are going with our poultry industry if the trend continues annually. We will not be importing poultry by five years’ time.
On irrigation, Dr Acheampong said the country’s irrigation coverage had been moved from 11,000 hectares since 1960 to 15,000 hectares since 2017. He said he had added 25,000 hectares of irrigation to the national scheme, those commissioned, ongoing, and recently awarded contracts in the a little over 12 months he had been with the ministry.
“From 2017 to a year ago, we had added 4,000 hectares to those 11,000 hectares from 1960. Since I’ve been in this house, from April last year to date, I have added 25,000 hectares to our irrigation scheme.
ADB Commitment
The Managing Director of the Agriculture Development Bank PLC, Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu-Tali, said the ADB had for the past 23 years been the lead sponsor of the National Best Farmers award scheme as a demonstration of its steadfast commitment to recognising the commendable efforts of the country’s hardworking farmers and fisherfolk.
“Our focus remains unwavering on enhancing their livelihoods, acknowledging their pivotal role in ensuring food security and driving economic prosperity.
“In line with our core mandate, ADB remains committed to collaborating with government and the private sector for the implementation of viable projects and programmes in the agricultural sector, such as planting for food and jobs phase two as part of efforts to promote agribusiness for wealth creation,” he said.