Thirteen individuals and groups were awarded at the Tamale Metro Farmers’ Day event held at Zouzogu in Tamale peri-urban. Iddrisu Napari, a farmer from Nyozie in his early 50’s was adjudged the Metro best farmer and for his prize; Napari took home a brand new Motorking tricycle and certificate. Imoro Yakubu from Dalinbila and Alhassan Baako from Kudula community were the first and second runners up.
Speaking at a farmers’ day event, held under the theme: “Ensuring agribusiness development under covid-19 – opportunities and challenges,” the Metro Chief Executive for Tamale, Iddrisu Musa Superior commended the gallant farmers for their efforts.
He said government under Nana Akuffo Addo has prioritized the agriculture sector hence the introduction of initiatives such as the planting for food, planting of export and rural development, the 1D-1F, one village, one dam which have in the last 4 years been designed to ensure food security and also generate employment for Ghanaians.
Iddrisu Musa said this year; the Assembly has established 30,000 cashew seedlings for distribution to farmers with the aim of encouraging and stimulating cash crop production to boost the local economy. part of the cashew trees, the MCE added will be given to public schools to be planted and secure their boundaries against trespassers and encroachers.
The Metro Director of the Department of Agriculture, Abdulai I. Adama, earlier in an address said early rains this year, affected production particularly rice as most farmers could only cultivate half of their targets. Also he said, there was dry spell from mid-July to early August which also affected early maize cultivation.
However he said government interventions like the planting for food and jobs programme was successful in bringing relieve to farmers in the metropolis as their cost of projection was halved through the subsidies on fertilizer and other agro inputs. Mr. Adama noted that livestock production also saw a boost in terms of disease control adding that over 2,436 livestock were vaccinated against anthrax, while a little over 89,600 birds were also vaccinated.
The awardees at the Tamale Metro Farmers Day celebration included Zakaria Fusieni from Lahagu was named the metro disabled farmer while Awabu Ibrahim form Zouzugu community was the best woman farmer. The awardees received items ranging from television sets to bicycles, roofing sheets, agro-inputs and certificates.
Story By: Nelson Nyadror Adanuti
