The general Best Farmer for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal District within the Western Region, Dr Kojo Owusu-Koranteng, on Friday urged the federal government to advertise farmers’ teams to create a powerful voice for farmers to articulate their wants and issues to manipulatement.
According to him, meals was an vital human want however regardless of the agricultural potential of the nation, farming had remained a “cutlass and hoe business” which had denied the agricultural sector the wanted funding to transtype peasant agriculture from its low degree productiveness to medium to giant scale farming.
He stated the agricultural sector of Ghana might solely be remodeled when the federal government targets smallholder farmers who’ve the dedication, ardour and indigenous information to change into the brokers of change within the transformation of agribusiness in Ghana.
Dr Owusu-Koranteng, who’s a Medical Officer on the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kowus Farms, was talking to journalists after been adjudged the municipal finest farmer for Tarkwa– Nsuaem, defined that his dad and mom have been agricultural officers who made yard gardening, farming, fish farming, rearing of fowls and beekeeping a part of the lifetime of their household, and that grew to become the foundation of his curiosity in farming.
He counseled peasant farmers for working so onerous to supply the meals wants of Ghanaians and referred to as on the federal government to extend the assist to smallholder farmers as a result of that was the perfect route to rework agriculture from its peasant nature to center to giant scale agribusiness.
He lamented that many agricultural programmes initiated by the federal government had failed as a result of the individuals who had made farming a part of their ardour and every day lives didn’t have entry to sources to extend their funding in agribusiness.
“Ghana is well-endowed naturally to make agriculture the foundation for national development through investment in agro processing, proper packaging of agricultural products for exports, training of the youth in agribusiness, among others,” he stated.
According to Dr Owusu-Koranteng, he began the livestock part with 5 pigs and later added sheep and goats to the farm. Today, he has hundred pigs in addition his to sheep and goats.
Sharing his ideas on how the federal government might modernise agriculture, Dr Kojo Owusu-Koranteng defined that the government should combine expertise with enchancment in infrastructure and sustainable practices within the agribusiness.
Dr Owusu –Koranteng, for his prize, acquired an Apsonic tricycle -1 , STIHL petrol Mistbrower-1, Yara Activa (50kg) -2, Amoniumsulphur (50kg)-5, Knapsack sprayer, Refrigerator, Latex Foam double dimension mattress, Hisense”50” flat display screen TV , Safety boots, weedicide field and different agaric inputs.
FROM TIMES REPORTER, TARKWA