The District Chief Executive for Ayensuano in the Eastern region, Hon. Josephine Awuku Ansaa Inkoom has voiced out a call for parliament to draft a law that will permit government to lease lands to the youths and individuals who aspired to delve into agriculture and to prevent estate developers from encroaching farmlands since acquiring land for farming has become a herculean task to the teaming youths who are willing to practice farming.
Speaking in an interview with Michael Akrofi at the Sidelines of the District's farmers Day Celebration on the theme "Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition" at Asuboi, some hardworking farmers in the district were awarded.
Hon. Josephine Awuku Ansaa Inkoom revealed that there is a growing interest of individuals leasing their lands to estate developers and for non farming related activities in the district than giving their lands to the youths who are willing to go into farming therefore discouraging them to look for other livelihood alternatives.
She indicated that agriculture contributes immensely to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but the practice if remains unattended and no drastic measures are taking will marred the significant progress made in agriculture which will inturn affect our GDP.
She said "land issue is one of the challenges why most of the youths are unable to go into farming because some of them are willing to farm but are unable to get land and if it happens that way how will they be able to farm, so going forward as a country we need to draft a law that will mandate the state to own a vast land so that any youth who will show interest in farming is giving a parcel of land to do their farming, the land issue is not about Ayensuano district only , it should be of a national interest and even be discussed in parliament so that they pass a law , so that the lands can even be lease to the farmers"
"The Executive arm and the Parliamentarians should deliberate on this issues if only they want to encourage the teaming youths to go into farming so that there will be abundance food , very affordable and help reduce youths unemployment in the country so that the situation where farmlands are taking away from the farmers for estate developers will be a thing of the past" Hon. Josephine Awuku Ansaa Inkoom said in an interview.
Nevertheless, she encouraged the youths not to be discouraged despite some real challenges because government flagship programs concerning agriculture is favourable to the youths in the agric value chain.
Mr. Obuobi Samuel was crowned as the overall best farmer in the Ayensuano District and was presented with a tricycle, Knapsack spraying machines, cutlasses ,farm protective equipments, television and others.
Mr. Obuobi Samuel a father of three children owes a maize farm of 35 acres, 20 acres of palm oil farms, 10 acres of coconut farms , 20 acres of cassava farms , 1 acre of plantain farms , 4 fish ponds , 15 pigs, 120 local fowls , 18 cattles etc.
Other farmers also received an award in their respective positions such as best poultry farmer, best youth farmer, best woman farmer, best extension agent and many others.
Mr. Obuobi Samuel having received the award as the Ayensuano District best farmer , he highlighted that as farmers in the district their major challenge is the encroachment of their farmlands by estate developers and land litigation issues which is occasioned by individuals who tout themselves to have an affiliation with traditional authorities or government appointees.
Meanwhile, the Ayensuano District Director of Agriculture , Mr. Clifford Asare tasked the farmers to Inculcate the habit of planting more trees in their farms along side their food crops and to avail themselves to the use of the newly invented mobile App which is yet to be launched by the Agric Extension officers purposely to update farmers on the weather condition to abreast farmers on climate change and how they can adopt to it.
Source: Michael Akrofi
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