It was not all talk on the significant role and contribution of farmers and fisherfolks to the development of agriculture at the Presby School Park in Agona Nsabaa, where the 27th National Farmers Day was held, as the Minister for Agriculture, Kwesi Ahwoi, took advantage of the occasion to launch a massive campaign for a parliamentary candidate in next year�s general elections.
Kwesi Ahwoi may have failed in his bid to obtain enough votes to represent the party in the Agona East constituency, but on Friday, December 2nd, he showed that the NDC was indeed united, if only for the cameras, when he touted the credentials of Queenstar Maame Pokua Sawyerr, (the candidate who handed him the shocking defeat), saying he was very optimistic the NDC parliamentary candidate-elect will unseat the NPP�s John Kwesi Agyabeng in 2012.
To some, it came as a shock when the �best performing minister� under the Mills-led administration, lost by a mere three votes to Maame Pokua at the just ended NDC parliamentary primary.
However, the Agriculture Minister showed his political astuteness when in his opening remarks on Farmer's Day, placed his opponent in the primary on a high plinth by throwing his weight behind her and jokingly accused the NPP MP of running scared.
�You all know how I lost narrowly�I just met my conqueror, Maame Pokua and I introduced her to the vice president�but I lost very gallantly and I have not been scarred�but, Kwesi Agyabeng, the current MP is so scared of Maame Pokua�s victory that he refused to come and join us on the platform here. He decided to hide far away and it took the whole vice president to convince him to come home. Maame Pokua would beat you by few votes and yours would look nicer than mine,� he said.
In his address, Mr Ahwoi said government�s commitment to stepping up agricultural production was demonstrated by the availing one percent of the Gross Domestic Product to that sector, adding �we shall in due course roll out other facilities for farmers to increase their levels.
To him, this year�s theme for the occasion was very apt since it was imperative for Ghana to grow more food.
Anchored on the theme: �Grow More Food; Research For Sustainable Agricultural Development�, the 27th National Farmers Day Awards was to stress the importance of Science and Technology in Agriculture.
Mr Ahwoi said the expected increased food production would also provide adequate raw materials for both local and international industries and urged the farmers to capitalize on the opportunity to step up their production levels.
He said government would also invest heavily in science and technology to energize both the private and public institutions to promote agriculture everywhere and at all levels of development for the youth to embrace food production techniques.
�Self-reliance in science and technology and agriculture can help the country to increase our production levels and propel us to become net exporters of food to other countries and organizations,� he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Ignatius Agbo, a 56-year old farmer from the Upper Denkyira East District in the Central Region, emerged as the overall best farmer receiving a building plan to put up a three-bedroom house at a place of his choice.
Messrs Daniel Ankomah, 35, from Assin South District and Philip Kwaku Agyeman, 44 from Dormaa Municipal Assembly, who emerged second and third National best farmers, received a tractor and a double-cabin Nissan pick-up respectively.
Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/Peacefmonline.com
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