45-year-old Fuseni Iddrisu has been crowned the Overall Best Farmer in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality.
He described the achievement as a result of “years of hard work and sacrifice.”
Iddrisu, a former COCOBOD staff who turned to full-time farming 15 years ago, says the decision “completely transformed” his life.
“l had a contract with COCOBOD and after expiration of the contract l got into farming. Today, I can say it was the best decision I ever made,”
said Iddrisu Fuseni.
He currently manages 33 acres of maize, 25 acres of rubber, 20 cattle, and several other crops.
As Ghana marks the 41st Farmers’ Day celebration under the theme “Eat Ghana, Grow Ghana, Secure the Future,” Iddrisu is urging government to modernise agriculture and attract more young people into the sector.
According to him, the Western Region still lacks a single functional tractor, forcing farmers to rent machinery from the Central Region.
“We don’t even have one working tractor in the whole region. We have to hire from the Central Region, and it slows down everything.”
“Hiring a tractor to plough an acre of land is very costly. Recently, l had to spend 10,000 cedis to plough 10 acre of land…so if we don’t have modernized farm implements available how do we encourage the youth to join farming under these conditions?” Iddrisu Fuseni asked.
He also expressed worry over the impact of illegal mining on farmlands and water bodies.
“Galamsey is destroying our water sources. Some farmers now carry water from their homes just to irrigate their farms,” he bemoaned.
Municipal Chief Executive for Effia-Kwesimintsim, Abdul Majeed Dorkorgu, commended farmers for their resilience and assured them of support.
“We have taken note of all the challenges raised. The Assembly is working to address them, and farmers will soon see improvements,” Majid Dorkorgu assured.
He also encouraged poultry farmers to prepare to benefit from the upcoming “Nkukor Nkitinkiti” programme.
““The ‘Nkukor Nkitinkiti’ initiative will soon be launched in this municipality. I urge poultry farmers to take full advantage,”he stated.
