Mr Tanko, a large-scale mixed farmer, received a tricycle, farming tools, and assorted prizes after emerging winner among several nominees. While supporters hailed the honour as a deserved acknowledgement of his longstanding contribution to agriculture, critics questioned whether the decision may have been politically influenced.

Minister Dismisses Allegations of Favouritism

Responding to the concerns, North East Regional Minister Tia Ibrahim firmly dismissed any suggestion of political bias.

“In the whole of the northern sector, there is nobody who can farm rice more than him,” the Minister stated.

“It is clear and visible for everybody to see. This is not politics. This is about rewarding people who truly deserve it. For all those we have awarded, go and do background checks on them. I challenge the media to come forward and tell me if there is even one person who did not deserve their award.”

He urged the public to avoid politicising the celebration, insisting that agriculture remains a non-partisan national priority.

The Minister also announced plans to establish two agricultural service centres in Yunyoo and Mamprugu-Moaduri to support food production for domestic and export markets. Additionally, he revealed that two food market centres would be created to store surplus produce for future distribution, including supply to Senior High Schools under the Free SHS Programme.

He further appealed for stronger community action against bushfires and encouraged improved hygiene practices to reduce sanitation-related health challenges.

Farmers Raise Concerns Over Market Access and Roads

Some farmers, particularly rice and sesame producers, told JoyNews that they continue to struggle with limited market access, which they say is hindering productivity. They also complained about the poor state of feeder roads connecting farms to market centres and called for urgent government intervention.

Others appealed for the reopening of the border with Togo and the easing of cross-border restrictions to support agricultural trade in the area.

Mixed Public Reaction

Opinions among residents remain divided. While some farmers welcomed Mr Tanko’s recognition as motivation for others to expand their operations, others argued that awarding a prominent political figure at a state event could reinforce perceptions of political influence or demonstrate impartiality, depending on interpretation.

Farmers’ Day activities across the North East Region highlighted resilience, food security, and the adoption of new technologies. Several farmers were honoured for excellence in rice cultivation, livestock production, shea processing, and youth innovation.

Despite the controversy, the ceremony concluded with renewed calls for unity and a collective commitment to advancing agricultural productivity in the region.

Reports according to Accra-based UTV, indicate that, Mr Manu died few hours after receiving the award on Friday, December 1, 2023.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kyeiwaa Farms reportedly fell ill after visiting his wife to celebrate the achievement on Saturday night.

He was then rushed to the Bekwai Government Hospital and was later pronounced dead.

The cause of death, however, is yet to be established.

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Her farm, Yaa Adjeley’s farm, uses the grains and crop residue to feed the animals and also use the animal droppings as manure to fertilise her fields while selling the crops to support the animal enterprise.

Farm size

She currently owns an 85-acre cocoa/banana farm, 16 acres of plantain/cocoyam farm, 30 acres of okro farm, eight acres of garden eggs, six acreage each of tomato and cassava as well as five acres of cocoyam among other crops.

For animal farming, she has 800 local fowls, 800 snails, 45 pigs, 16 sheep, nine rabbits and six sheep.

For these and many others, the farmer from the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region, easily stood tall when the names of female farmers were mentioned.

With 17 years farming experience, Yaa Adjeley mounted the podium to applause to be crowned as the Best Female Farmer for the year 2022.

For her prize, Madam Adjeley took home ¢100,000 cheque and other souvenirs.

A member of the Nyamebetsere Farmer’s Association, the affable Madam Ajeley won the District Best Farmer award in 2017 and was adjudged the 2021 Best Woman in Agriculture in the district.

Integrated farming

With her integrated farming, Madam Adjeley feeds her animals primarily with crop residues, cassava leaves, grass and by-products from the farm, especially during the dry season.

She ensures that her animals are good and healthy by being deliberate on routine medication, vaccination as well as periodic monitoring by veterinary officers.

Her marketing strategies include sale in the open market, farm gates and also supplies to the government buffer stock.

Madam Adjeley’s knowledge and appreciation of good agricultural practices is top notch as she depends on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other certified sources for planting materials.

For the crops (pepper) that are nursed before transplanting, she demonstrates good understanding of best nursery management practices.

She carries out all her farm operations manually, while relying on both organic and inorganic fertilisers to improve the fertility of the soil.

In the event of disease and pest outbreak, Madam Adjeley consults the district department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for recommendations on the most appropriate chemical to control them.

In terms of good animal husbandry practices, the farmer is motivated by financial benefits from the sale of animals in the choice of the animal species to keep.

Environmental issues

Major environmental factors militating against the farmer’s production activities include bushfires, floods, misuse of agrochemicals and drought.

In addressing these environmental challenges, the farmer establishes firebelts with trees to control bushfires and creating of channels to facilitate drainage of excess water on the fields during floods.

Prior to the use of chemicals on the field, the farmer provides her workers with the requisite PPEs such as the overall dress, wellington boots, hand gloves and nose masks.

Chemical containers are buried after use.

Constraints

For Madam Adjeley, the high labour cost, poor farm roads, incidence of pest and diseases and also financial challenges are the major constraints in her farming enterprise.

In coping with the challenges, she depends on labour from neighbouring towns, undertakes periodic repair of the roads leading to the farms, and also relies on AEA’s when there is an outbreak of pest and diseases.

She also ploughs back her resources into her farming business.

Record keeping

She is meticulous with record keeping on crop and animal production operations consistently and regularly kept it over the years in a manner that is satisfactory.

Madam Adjeley works closely with the extension agents of the Department of Agriculture, adopting improved farming technologies.

These technologies have contributed positively to increased farm productivity.

Specific technologies adopted by the farmer include the following:

Role of Farmer in the Community

Madam Adjeley is easily a role model not only for females, but both female and male farmers.

She shares information with other farmers and also willingly allows other farmers to visit her farms to learn best practices.

As part of her social responsibility to her community, she has supported the Asako SHS with plantain, pays school fees for eight students and supported farmers with suckers.

The actor was awarded a certificate as well as other prices for his outstanding contribution towards the development of agriculture, especially fish farming in Ghana.

He received his award at a durbar and exhibition at Deikrom on the Farmers’ Day celebration last Friday.

Fred is owner of Nafaako farms which specialise in fresh, smoked fishes and catfish rearing.

He is the only known Kumawood actor to receive a prize at the just ended Farmers’ Day celebration with the theme ‘Accelerating Agricultural Development Through Value Addition’.

For his prize, Ugarimoti Stephen took home a tricycle, a knapsack spraying machine, cutlasses, a piece of cloth and a certificate of merit for his effort.

The award winner, who could not hide his excitement, thanked the Agriculture Department for the good relationship with farmers in the district and commended the organisers of the programme for the tremendous work.

He appealed to all persons with disability to take advantage of the government’s plethora of social intervention measures to boost agriculture in the country and venture into farming since it is lucrative.

He appealed to the government to support with loans and other machineries to boost the agric business.

Speaking at the programme, the MCE for the area, Emmanuel Jalulah Kajal, acknowledge that the theme for this year’s Farmers’ Day celebration was as a result of good agricultural policies such as the Planting For Food and Jobs introduced by the government.

He said the government had taken bold steps towards positioning agriculture as the engine of growth for the Ghanaian economy by introducing policies such as the Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development, free distribution of day old chicks to poultry farmers, 28 per cent increase in cocoa prices and distribution of oil palm seedlings to farmers.

He received a prize money of GH₵570,000.00.    

Second was Nana Kofi Drobo IV, a farmer at Wenchi who received a tractor and some farm inputs.

The third was Mahamudu Mohammed Awal, a farmer from the Northern Region who had a Nissan pickup vehicle in addition to some farm inputs.    

Addressing the gathering, prior to the announcement of awardees, President Nana Akufo-Addo congratulated the farmers for their hard work and assured of his next government’s commitment to provide subsidies to enhance their farming activities.

About 135 deserving farmers from the 16 regions were also honoured and received various prizes ranging from farm tractors, motor king, wheel barrows, wellington boots, agricultural inputs and agro-chemicals.

The event was attended by Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, farmers, local and foreign investors and civil society actors.