Mr. Awintuma Akande from Tili in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region has received the award as the Overall Regional Best Farmer at the 38th Farmer’s Day Celebration Organized at the Jubilee Park in Bolgatanga. The celebration was massively attended by farmers across the region. Addressing the congregation and colleagues farmers after receiving the award, Mr. Akande said, this is the second time he is winning the Regional Best Farmer category. “And the most important thing am seeing this year happening is that, those years back, we were buying maize from Kumasi, Techiman to Upper East. But from that time to today, we are rather sending maize from Upper East to Accra, Kumasi, and even in the neighboring countries, we are supplying to them. So, am very proud today to stand here to thank all the farmers for the good work Upper East farmers have done for Ghana. So, am very happy today, to tell every farmer that receives an award today that they shouldn’t stop it here, they should go further and pull the best”. According to the Regional overall winner, apart from farming, there is nothing in Ghana. “Am talking about the youth today. When you just complete school don’t be running from office to office looking for jobs go into farming and be waiting, if something better comes out from the office you can go. As we speak, today, there is no work that they can employ me because they cannot pay me. So, I will not go to any office to look for work. He further advised the youth to venture into farming than looking for a white colour job. “So, today am just pleading to the youth to just try their best and venture into farming and at the end of the day, their lives will be settled”. Acknowledging the stress of using energy to farm, the award winner sends a message to the government through the Regional Minister to make farming equipment available for farmers. “What I want the Regional Minister to send back to Accra, is that the government should look inside the Agriculture. We need support, because, this time people don’t want to use their energy to farm, we need modern equipment. If we have the equipment, me alone I have about three thousand five hundred acres in my village. Looking for equipment to do the farming we don’t get. So, am just pleading with the government to go in and see how they can help the Agric sector so that, the youth will go into Agriculture when they see that is not energy work but mechanic work”. The Upper East Regional Minister Stephen Yakubu said, the Upper East’s path to prosperity as a region is self-reliant in value-added agriculture. He added the people of the Upper East Region are privileged to be endowed with arable land and water resources for agricultural productivity. “We have to effectively harness these resources within the context of value-added agriculture rather than selling our farm products in their raw state for the economic and social transformation of our communities”. He said Meanwhile, the Upper East Regional Director of Agri Alhaji Zakaria Fuseini acknowledged the efforts of farmers across the region. He highlighted some achievements made so far in the region. According to him, the Canadian government has provided the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Programme and among the prioritized areas of MAG is strengthening market linkages, value addition, and activities that can generate other forms of income. The various Municipal and District Departments of Agriculture have skillfully carried out a number of training on related subjects, including training of women groups in the utilization of soya into khebab, milk, and “koose”, Orange Flesh Sweet Potato (OFSP) into “potagout” and Agra rice into “Massa” across the entire region. However, the Regional Agric Director said, “it is no secret that the agriculture sector is facing new challenges today such as climate change, a rise in the price of agricultural inputs, and recurrent outbreaks of animal diseases, notwithstanding the significant contribution made by our farmers and fisherfolks to regional and national level development. He described these as harmful factors unceasingly threatening the region’s local food production. Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com