WA, Dec.7, GNA - Alhaji Abdul-Salam Akati, a 54- year old farmer based in the Ashanti Region emerged as this year's National Best farmer and received the symbolic key to a three-bed room house to be constructed at a location of his choice by the Agricultural Development Bank from the Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.

Among several attributes contained in the citation accompanying the award; he has so far spent about 15,000 Ghana cedis (150 million cedis) in sponsoring poor students to continue their education. As in previous years, the presentation ceremony was the highlight of this year's farmers' day celebration which took place at Wa on Friday under the theme: "Ghana at 50, progress and challenges of sustainable Agricultural Development".

Alhaji Akati, who hails from Bawiesibele in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region, also had five thousand Ghana cedis insurance cover and in addition, he would be sponsored to participate in the Royal Agricultural show in the United Kingdom

The First and Second runners-up awards went to Mr Dominic Kwame Ampofo from the Western Region and Daniel Ayitey Kumi from the Greater-Accra Region.

Mr Ampofo drove home a Nissan Double-cabin pick-up vehicle worth 25,000 Ghana cedis donated by Stanbic Bank Ghana limited while Mr Kumi had a tractor and its accessories as his prize.

In the Fisheries sector, Mr Sarfo Quainoo from the Central Region took home a Ford double cabin pick-up vehicle for emerging as the Best National Fisher for this year with the first and second runners-up positions going to Mr Lucas Dan Kobla and Mr Daniel Armah Mensah from the Volta and Greater-Accra Regions respectively. Each of them received a deep freezer and an outboard motor and assorted fishing inputs as their prizes.

Fifty-six other award winners, including ten extension staff of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and one from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research received bicycles, sewing machines, Wellington boots, machetes and tape recorders.