The various regions, metropolises, municipalities and districts across the country marked this year’s National Farmers Day with durbars to honour deserving farmers, with the main one being held in the Volta Region.
From Tema, Benjamin Xornam Glover reports that 37-year-old Ali Yunusah Halifa was adjudged the Overall Best Farmer in the Tema Metropolis for 2025.
At the awards ceremony held at the VALCO Park in Community 7 last Friday, Mr Halifa received a motor tricycle donated by VALCO, a knapsack sprayer, Wellington boots, a wheelbarrow, insecticides, machetes, fertilisers, wax print, and other farming inputs.
He expressed appreciation to the TMA and all who supported his farming journey.
Other award recipients included Paul Sowah Ablorh (Best Fisher), Mumuni Donnor (Best Crop Farmer), Abraham Mensah Noye (Best Marine Fisher), Daniel Adongo (Best Entrepreneur Farmer), and Margaret Tsimese (Best Fish Processor).
Winners
Other winners were Dramani Aninu Nabiu (Best Livestock Farmer), Nyantakye Yaw Ofori (Best Agric Worker), and Benedicta Anokyewa Asiamah (Best Agro Processor).
Oheneyere Hoahi Akosua Asamoah II (right in front), Queenmother of Boadi, Anwel Sadat Ahmed (2nd from right), MCE for Oforikrom, applauding after jointly handing over a tricycle to Alhassan Musa Kpabi (left), who emerged as the Best Farmer for the Oforikrom Municipality
The Ghana National Fire Service (Motorway Fire Station) was named the Best Institution.
Winners received items such as deep freezers, fencing mesh, knapsack sprayers, seeds, insecticides, machetes, fertilisers, water pumps and wax prints.
The MCE of Tema, Ebi Bright, urged industries within the metropolis to support the government’s agricultural and export agenda, noting Tema’s historic roots as a farming and fishing community before its transformation into an industrial hub.
She added that the metropolis’s strength now lies in food processing, driven by its ports, factories, and energetic youth workforce.
The Tema Metro Director of Agriculture, George Batse, emphasised the relevance of this year’s theme, “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future.”
He encouraged the public to patronise locally grown food to boost markets, create jobs, and reduce pressure on foreign exchange.
Kumasi
Gilbert Mawuli Agbey writes from Kumasi that the Amanfrom Prisons Camp won the Overall Best Farmer category in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly during the 41st National Farmers Day celebration.
The facility has over 20 years’ experience in farming, specifically crop, animal and fish production. It has an acre of spring onion, 300 poultry birds, 276 pigs, 21 sheep, goats,10, 40 acres of palm plantation, 24 acres of maize, among others.
For their prize, the camp received a certificate, a tricycle, a knapsack sprayer, Wellington boots, a mattress and a box of machetes, among others.
For the first time in the history of the awards, basic, junior high and senior high schools were awarded for engaging in practical agriculture. Oasis Christian Academy was adjudged the best primary school in practical agriculture.
Schools
Similarly, Ohwim M/A JHS was awarded the best JHS in practical agriculture, while St Hubert SHS won the best SHS category in practical agriculture, among other award winners. Also, Augustina Nhyira Ameyaw won the best female farmer, among other award winners.
The Kumasi Metro Director of Agriculture, Samuel Owusu Ampofo, in a remark, underscored the need for schools to venture into agriculture as it would go a long way to change the perception of pupils and students about farming.
That, he said, would make the youth develop an interest in the field and take over from the ageing farmer population.
The Chief Executive for the KMA, Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi, commended the gallant farmers in the metropolis and said the celebration provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on the broader impact of the agricultural sector on national development.
Security
He said if the nation were able to achieve food security in the future, Ghanaians must be intentional and buy, cook and eat what is grown locally, and further called on the citizenry to take advantage of the numerous agricultural initiatives introduced by the government towards improving the sector.
On the recently launched ‘Nkoko Nketenkete’ programme, he disclosed a total of 20,000 birds would be distributed to households within the metropolis in a bid to shore up local poultry production.
The Otumfuo Mentiahene, Nana Kwaku Baafi II, who chaired the ceremony, commended the government for interventions introduced to transform the agricultural sector and for the region’s share of all initiatives tailored towards agriculture.
Assin Fosu
From Assin Fosu, Joana Kumi writes that a 62-year-old farmer from the Gomoa Central District, Nhyiraba Livingston, was crowned the best farmer in the Central Region at the regional farmers' day held at Assin Fosu.
His impressive achievements across diverse agricultural activities earned him the regional top honour.
Livingston's extensive farming portfolio includes 27 acres of cocoa, 58 acres of coconut, 54 acres of orange, 11 acres of tangerine, 14 acres of oil palm, 21 acres of cassava, 25 acres of maize and 12 acres of okro.
He also has six acres of cowpea, seven acres of pepper, eight acres of cocoyam, and 11 acres of timber species.
Livingston also manages 50 stands of turkey berries, 20 pawpaw trees, and 56 plantain plants.
In addition to crop production, Nhyiraba keeps various animals such as 148 goats, 167 sheep, 233 local birds, 5 cats, and runs a fish pond measuring 100 by 120 feet with around 4,000 catfish and 8,000 tilapia.
His farm is well equipped with key infrastructure, including a storeroom, pen coop, and essential farm tools such as a Nissan Saron tractor, a coconut oil processor, and a gari processor, among others.
For his outstanding work, Livingston was awarded a tricycle, a deep freezer, a certificate, a TV set, Wellington boots, a machete, agrochemicals, a knapsack sprayer and a wheelbarrow.
