A 75- year - old visually impaired,
Yen Bonti Yakote, emerged as the overall best farmer inthe Nabdam District of the Upper East
Region at this year’s farmers day.
The 75-
year- old visually impaired, who
emerged as the overall best farmer out of the
twenty farmers at the event, organized at Nangodi, in the Nabdam District, is into sorghum, guinea corn,
beans, cowpea, groundnuts , maize and
rearing of ruminants such as cattle
, sheep and goats as well as fouls guinea fowls.
Speaking to the GBC in an interview after the
event, he said being physically challenged, does not mean one is disempowered
and appealed to his colleagues to also work hard to improve upon their living
conditions instead of depending solely on others.
According to him, in each farming season, he
develops five pits of compost manure and use that as an organic manure to
fertilize his crops.
Mr Yakote who attributed the high yields he
gets every farming season to the use of the organic manure, he said it helps
him to cut down cost in his farming expenditure.
He admonished,
particularly small holder farmers in the region to adopt the compost manure
technology instead of relying on fertilizers which are sold at exorbitant prizes.
He disclosed that through farming, he has been able to cater
for his wife and 10 children and siblings education, some of whom, he noted,
are at the tertiary level.
“I want to take
this opportunity to admonish my colleagues physically challenged persons not to
give up in their lives. It is only when you start something that the society
can help you to continue with it” Mr Yakote admonished.
Among the award winners was Mrs Christiana
Atara, a-48-years-old woman with five children who also became the second best
farmer in the District.
Whilst the
overall best farmers received a motorbike, a bicycle, Willington boots,
knapsack sprayer, two cutlass , bags of fertilizer and two key bar soaps, the second best farmer
also took home a bicycle, Willington boots, knapsack sprayer, two cutlass.
The remaining award winners also got
consolation prizes. Addressing the award winners, the District Chief Executive
for the area, Mrs Vivian Anafo, lauded the efforts of award winners for
contributing to ensuring food security and the nation’s economic growth.
The DCE who
encouraged farmers in the area to see farming as an economic venture, said the land
in the area is very suitable for farming crops such as maize, rice, millet,
sweet potatoes, cowpea, soya beans, and tomatoes among others.
She assured the
farmers that Government will continue to provide them with the necessary
support in the areas of fertilizer subsidy and rehabilitation and de-silting of
dams to empower them enhance on their farming activities.
The District
Director of Agriculture, Mr Amale Michael, who reiterated the need for the farmers,
will continue to facilitate to ensure that they get support from organizations
including the Northern Rural Growth, the Ghana farmers to embrace farming as an
economic venture, assured the farmers that his outfit Social Opportunities
Project (GSOP), banks and NGOs to boost their activities.
GBC
END
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