My commitment as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) is to ensure the development of the Yilo Krobo Municipality and I need everybody on board. I therefore do not care whether those who are committed to this vision are members of the NPP, NDC, CPP and PPP inter alia; these were the words of the MCE of Yilo Krobo Municipality, Hon. Eric Tetteh as the Municipality marks its district version of the National Farmers’ Day yesterday, the 3rd of December 2021 held in Obawale, one of the suburbs of the municipality that saw Mr. Narh Emmanuel adjudged the overall best famer for the Municipality for 2021.

The MCE, in his address made the point that his vision was to create jobs through multifaceted approach including agric business, to tackle the sanitation problem faced by the municipality, and to improve upon the markets in the major communities of Somanya, Nkurakan and Agogo through Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement. The MCE stressed, that sanitation had not only become a major challenge for the Municipality but getting out of hands as it was becoming difficult to find a final dumping site for disposing of refuse generated in the Municipality. He however assured, that the Municipality under his leadership would to everything possible, taking advantage of its proximity to Tema and Accra to attract private investors to invest in the Municipality to address issues of jobs and where the need be, the Assembly would enter into PPP arrangement with investors, provide the necessary support needed to have the toning issues affecting the Municipality addressed. The MCE therefore appealed to all and sundry to be untied in order to complement the efforts of government towards the development of Yilo Krobo.

On the Farmers’ Day celebration, the MCE commended all the award winners and advised them to work even harder in their efforts to feed the people of Yilo Krobo and the nation as a whole and added, that under his watch, there would be no political interference to deny deserving awardees of their hard labour as had been complained about in recent time and urged anybody who was poised to win award to work hard to achieve the said goal in the subsequent years. He was however quick to add, that if anybody needed his intervention for assistance from the Agriculture Department as to how to improve upon his or her farms, he was ever ready to do that but he cannot interfere wrongly to deny anybody duly qualified for an award.

The Municipal Agriculture Director, Mr. Daniel Oduro on his part indicated, that government had invested a lot in agriculture production by way of subsidized inputs such as improved seeds, seedlings and fertilizers among others which had yielded dividends as reflected in food production in the past years. He however said, that the emergence of the COVID-19 had affected agriculture production negatively due to shortfall in the supply of farm inputs from countries like China where those items were produced therefore leading to increase in prices of farm inputs. Mr. Odro therefore advised the farmers that if they had money, they should buy some of the farm inputs ahead of time and store them before the end of the year as prices kept increasing every week.

The Assembly member for the Obawale Electoral Area where the event was held, Hon. Osanyingmor Samuel Teye who indicated that Obawale enclave was noted as the largest producer of maize in the Municipality, reminded the MCE of a promise made by the sector Minister to build warehouse for the area and appealed to the MCE to ensure that the said promise was redeemed. In his response, the MCE said, that he together with some colleagues from the krobo land in the Region had a discussion with the sector Minister on how to develop agro business in the area including Yilo Krobo and assured the farmers that he would continue to pursue that dream until it was delivered.

The 37th National Farmers’ Day which was under the theme “Planting for Food and Jobs – Consolidating Food Systems in Ghana” saw twenty (20) farmers in the Yilo Krobo Municipality honored with various prizes and certificates with four (4) consolation prizes that came without certificates to four (4) farmers.

As indicated earlier, the overall best Municipal Farmer went to a forty four (44) year old young man, Mr. Narh Emmanuel from Nkurakan, with the best female Youth Farmer going to Madam Linda Odetsi Korkor from Perpertifi.

For their prizes respectively, Mr. Narh Emmanuel received; a Double door Fridge, a pair of Wellington Boot, 6 Cutlasses,1 Wheel Barrow, 3 Knapsack Sprayers, a Piece Of Cloth, Aluminium Bowl, a Watering can, 1 Packet of Roofing Sheet, 2 litres king kong green, 2 Bon optimal, 2 maize booster, 1 radio, I mobile phone, 4 prunning saws and a Certificate, and Madam Linda Odetsi Korkor received; a Wheel barrow, 1 Aluminium Bowl, 1 pair wellington Boots, 4 Cutlasses, 1 knapsacks, ½ Piece Of Cloth, 1 mobile Phone, 1 bicycle, 2 liters Bon optima, 2 King kong, Watering can and Certificate.

Narh who commenced farming at age nineteen (19) has been into farming for about twenty-five (25) years, and has the following crop cultivation to his credit for this year’s farming season;

8 acres of Cassava, 4 acres of Tomatoes, 4 acres of Cabbage, 3 acres of Plantain, 1 acres of Okro, 2 acre of Garden eggs 2.

In the area of tree crops, Mr. Narh own 2 acres of oil palm, 1 acre of mahogany plantation, 3 acres of coconut among others, whiles in livestock industry his count indicated; 54 sheep, 30 goats and 33 pigs.

The first and second runner ups awards went respectively to Madam Comfort Yohunor Kwao-Kumah of Pleyo and Prince Laryea of Nappies Farm from Guata.

The MCE, Hon. Eric Tetteh also used the occasion to apologize to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and the good people of Yilo Krobo about recent development in the Municipality involving ECG and its Billing system which faced some resistance to frustrate ECG’s plan to replace Post-paid meters with Pre-paid ones which resulted to ECG having to move its operation from Somanya to Kpong. Hon. Tetteh however assured ECG, that the views expressed by those against installation of Pre-paid Meters in the Krobo land was not a majority view and that attempts were being made to resolve the issue and urged everyone to remain calm.