The newly created New Juaben North Municipal Assembly (NJNMA), has awarded a graduate registered nurse turned poultry farmer, Mrs Bless Tutu, the youth farmer of the year for the Municipality.
Briefing the media, the 26 years old Mrs Tutu said, she started the poultry farm as a small business to earn some money to cater for her siblings and herself because her posting was delayed.She said she later recognized that she could make it big in poultry farming and so expanded gradually.
Mrs Tutu said she now has about 1300 birds which produce about 35 crates of eggs daily. A 63 year old, Mr Sammy Nii Okai Quaye of BOSSGIE Farms from Akwadum, a suburb of the Municipality, was adjudged the overall best farmer for the Municipality with Mr Eric Ofosu of Mpaemu and Mr Joseph Samurl, taking the second and third positions respectively.
The best female farmer was won by Ms Juliana Quashie of Jumapo. Seven others farmers received prizes for being best farmers for various crops. Among the award winners include one physically challenged, Reverend Mark Oti.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben North who is also the Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Nana Akwasi Adjei-Boateng called on the youth to venture into agriculture.
He said the government has started building warehouses across the country for storage of farm produce to help reduce post harvest loses and ensure food security in the country.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ms Comfort Asante, said the Municipal Assembly will assist farmers in the Municipality to use technology and innovations to improve farming.
She expressed gratitude to the chiefs, Assembly members, farmers and all the people in the Municipality for supporting her to be able to celebrate the first Farmers Day as New Juaben North Municipal Assembly.
The New Juaben North Municipal Agriculture Director (MAD), Mr Emmanuel Narh, said the government was supplying improved variety of maize and cassava seedlings at subsidize prices to interested farmers to increase their productivity.
Mr Narh urged farmers to work closely with the agricultural extension officers in their area and collect coupons to enable them to acquire their farm inputs at subsidies rates.
The MAD announced that the Assembly has received over 1,500 palm oil seedlings for development of a nursery at Asikasu for distribution to interested farmers next year.
