A 26-year-old senior high school graduate from Anuruso, Mr Enoch Kwaku Amano, last Friday, became the youngest-ever best farmer in the history of the Asante Akim Central Municipality.

This was when he was crowned the municipal’s best farmer at the 29th celebration of the farmers day at Adumkrom.

For his prize, he took home a tricycle, a knapsack sprayer, a pair of Wellington boots, a radio, a pair of T-shirt, machetes and a certificate.

Other 16 farmers and agricultural extension officers were also presented with knapsack sprayers, Wellington boots, radio sets, T-shirts, machetes and a certificate.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Municipal Chief Executive for Asante Akim Central, Alhaji Braimah Boyong, commended the farmers for their dedication and commitment towards the provision of food to feed the nation and for export.

Commenting on the theme for the function;  “Reducing post-harvest losses for sustainable food security and nutrition”, the MCE said the municipality lost about 30 per cent of maize and cassava annually due to poor post-harvest handling activities.

To find a lasting solution to the canker in the municipality, the assembly, in collaboration with the Municipal Directorate of Agriculture, would intensify its extension services on post-harvest losses, food security and nutrition for farmers, traders, transporters and all stakeholders in the food value chain.

The assembly would also maintain and resource the food processing centre it built for the women to train food vendors, caterers, and all stakeholders who processed food for the consumption of the general public.

He said the assembly would liaise with the agriculture directorate to create a post-harvest management unit within the department to manage post-harvest activities in the municipality.

The MCE said to help boost agriculture in the area, 1,506 free cocoa seedlings were distributed to farmers last year and in addition 220 pieces of new spraying machines were given out to spraying gangs in the area to ensure that all cocoa farms were sprayed effectively.

The Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, in an address, said the issue of post-harvest in the country needed a holistic approach, since it involved diverse approaches to get to the bottom or find a lasting solution to the issue.

He called for more resources to be allocated for the training of agricultural extension officers and all other stakeholders who could play meaningful roles to find a lasting solution to the menace in the country.

The MP said there was the need for roads in rural areas, especially those linking food and cash crop producing areas, to be improved to enhance the transportation of the products to the market early to prevent them from getting spoilt.

The Asante Akim Central Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mr Albert Obeng Adu, in his welcome address, lamented over the refusal of farmers to engage the service of agricultural extension officers in their day-to-day operations leading to post-harvest losses in the country.

He said the district directorate was collaborating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to improve upon rice production in the municipality due to the availability of arable land and good weather conditions which supported the production of rice in the area.

The Municipal Director appealed to people in the area, especially the youth, to embrace rice cultivation, since it had a ready and good market as the returns on them were very good.