The Overall Best Farmer for Nabdam District in the Upper East Region, Mr. Kenneth Kapoti has beseeched government to go to the aid of farmers within the district as elephants invade their farmers.
Addressing the media shortly after he was adjudged as overall 2021 best farmer of the district at Sekoti Mr. Kapoti, lamented that the majority of the farmers in the district were unable to farm due to the elephants being unwelcomed guests on their farmlands.
He alluded that his success story which saw him farm ten hectares of land became possible through the benevolence of God.
“I’m very happy because it’s our Almighty God who gave me this. Most of our farmers here could not go to the farm to farm even 1 hectare; nobody did that. But I was able to do up to 10 hectares and due to God I was able to farm what I was expecting.” he said.
Mr. Kapoti, who is an indigene of the Sekoti community stated that the presence of the elephants has served as an obstruction to farming adding that the presence of the animals poses security threats.
He added that the onus lies on traditional rulers, Parliamentarians as well as central government devise strategies of numbing the threat of the animals in order to secure the lives of residents.
“This should be between the chiefs, our assemblymen, MPs and our president; they are entitled to all this because we are very poor, what can we do? If they don’t come to our aid, there is nothing we can do,” he said.
Mr. Kapoti expressed his appreciation to the government for recognizing his efforts but was quick to appeal to the latter to make the awards more mouth-watering so as to make agriculture an attractive venture for the youth.
He intimated attracting the youth into agriculture is pivotal to arresting the unemployment problem in the area thereby improving upon security.
The Paramount Chief of the Sekoti traditional area, Naba Sigri Bewoung congratulated the former for his enormous contribution to the economy of the country in the midst of threats from elephants.
Mr. Kapoti was awarded a tricycle, a cutlass, a bar of key soap, a radio set and a certificate of honour.
In all, a total of 21 farmers were awarded for their efforts.
Farmers’ Day since its inception in 1985 is a day set aside to recognize the towering contribution of farmers toward the socio-economic development of our country. It is normally observed on every first Friday of December.
Source/www.a1radioonline.com/101.1mHz/Elijah Beyeni Yenibey/Ghana
