The District Chief Executive for Kwahu Afram Plains North, Windham Emil Afram made the call during the Farmers Day Celebration at Kayera.

He said the Agric sector has the potential and capacity to create more jobs and offer decent incomes thereby improving general standard of living, ensuring food security for both rural and urban communities, providing raw materials for agro industrialization and addressing rural – urban migration.

He said the theme for this year’s celebration, “Agriculture; a business response to economic growth”, is apt considering the linkage between agriculture and economic growth. He said the introduction of incentives to production such as free fertilizer distribution and mass spraying exercise have boosted the agric sector.

He however cautioned that agricultural markets especially the international markets are complex and dynamic and therefore appealed for a strong linkage and collaboration among the chain actors and those who provide support functions to help farmers to produce what they can market rather than trying to market what they produce.

In all 15 farmers were awarded with Frederick Kwasi Torble, 35, from Alavanyo emerging the 2016 overall best district farmer. He took home a motocycle, 5 cutlasses, 1knapsack sprayer and a radio set.

Mr. Torble has 12acres of maize, 18acres of cassava, 7acres of groundnut, 2acres of cowpea and 1acre of pepper as well as 30 cattle, 12 sheep, 35 goats, 15 pigs and 45 fowls.  Madam Patience Efeneye, 41, won the best woman farmer category with Prosper Adonu, 31, winning the best youth farmer award.