The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima Mponua District Assembly in the Ashanti region Hon. Williams Darko has advised farmers not to sell their farms and lands for illegal mining activities ‘galamsey’, as it’s a very risky adventure to embark on.

He cautioned that ‘galamsey’ activities have destroyed and affected food supply in the country and if landowners and farmers did not desist from that practice, food crop production would dwindle and that would have a disastrous consequence on the economy.

Hon. Darko gave the advice when addressing farmers at Mpatasia in the Atwima Mponua district during the annual anniversary celebration of the 33rd Farmers’ Day on Wednesday, November 28.

The theme for celebration was “Farming for Food and Jobs”

In all, 15 farmers were rewarded with wheel barrows, insecticides spraying machines, agro chemicals, radio, cutlasses, and certificates.

The Atwima Mponua DCE told the gathering farmers that money earned from selling farms to the ‘galamsey’ operators could last for a few years, while the farms could last for decades.

“Benefits derived from farms could also transcend to generations so consider the benefits of farm lands to yourselves, your families and the country when people approached you to buy your farms,” he said.

To deal with the problem in the district, he said, “a permanent team had been set up to flush out ‘galamsey’ operators in the district and asked the farmers and land owners to report those who offered to buy their lands for illegal mining to the district authorities. I also implore you to stop the illegal mining and those caught will be severely dealt with according the laws of the country,” he cautioned.

Hon. Williams Darko reiterated the government’s commitment of making a agriculture a lucrative work, and that has been manifested in feasible programmes like the pollination, fertilizer subsidies, plating for food jobs among others.

The Best District Farmer Award went to a 66 year old Opanin Kwabena Owusu, who hails from Huntaado, and was presented with a tricycle ‘Abobooya’, television set , deep freezer refrigerator, wheelbarrows, textiles and other agric inputs.