A farmer from the Asante-Akim South district won the best farmer award at the Ashanti Region Produce Buying Company (PBC) award ceremony during which 38 farmers and 26 workers of the company were honoured for their hard work at Nkawie in the Atwima District.

Mr S.H. Ayibonte, the farmer, sold the highest number of 400 bags of cocoa to the company last season while Nana Appiah-Kubi I, chief of Ampenin in the Atwima District followed as the regional second best farmer.

Mr Yaw Sarpong, the Atwima District Manager of the PBC, won the best district manager award. Awards ranging from gas cookers, standing fans, knapsack spraying machines, insecticides, Wellington boots, machetes and certificates were presented to the award winners.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr S.K. Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, assured cocoa farmers that the NPP government would continue to support programmes of well-meaning Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies (LBCs)

that were farmer-centred and whose activities were geared towards raising the income levels of the rural population.

He said the government is determined to raise cocoa production, that is why it initiated the mass cocoa spraying exercise against pests and other fungal diseases.

Mr Boafo disclosed that the government, in conjunction with the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has started a pilot project on Hi-Tech application on cocoa farms in the Ejisu-Juaben and Twifu Praso districts in the Ashanti and Central regions to improve upon yields.

He said it was reassuring that the PBC had carried out a

self-assessment and identified its shortcomings with the view to improving its service delivery to maximum satisfaction.

Mr Samuel Owusu-Acheaw, Ashanti Regional Manager of PBC, expressed appreciation to the farmers for their continued business with the PBC in spite of the emergence of Licensed Buying Companies in the industry.

He assured farmers of efficient service delivery and prompt payment for their produce during the impending season and asked them to ensure that all entries in respect of produce sold to the PBC were properly recorded in their passbooks to facilitate payment of bonuses.

Nana Twum Barima Appau III, Nkawiehene, who chaired the function, appealed to the PBC to re-condition the sheds in the communities.