A 26-year-old unposted Registered Nurse Assistant Clinical, Blessing Tutu, was adjudged the best poultry farmer and best youth farmer in New Juaben North Municipality during the 2018 Farmers Day celebration held at Koforidua-Asokore.

Not posted after completing school in 2015, Blessing decided to venture into poultry farming as an alternative livelihood. Currently, she boasts of 1300 layers, laying about 35 crates of eggs daily.

“I am a Registered Nurse Assistant clinical. I completed in 2015 getting to three years now. I got married in 2016 so my husband said I shouldn’t wait for posting, so we started the farm, very little and as God is on our side we moved on. My motivation actually was that the posting wasn’t coming and I needed money I have siblings so I saw that if I am able to do well I must just do it,” she tells Starr News.

Engaged in other agricultural activities, she hopes to expand, Blessing admits “in this farming, there are lots of obstacles” but she is determined to succeed.

Blessing was given special award by the Member of Parliament for New Juaben North who is also a Deputy Local Government Minister, Nana Adjei Boateng.

She received a TV set, wellington boot, cutlasses, pesticide, spraying machine, a certificate, among others

Many other farmers won various prizes while the overall best farmer award went to Samuel Okai, a 63-year-old farmer married with three kids.

He was given a motorbike, cutlasses, Napsack spraying machine, and weedicide.

He implored government in his acceptance speech to provide financial, technical and logistical support for farmers particular the youth to engage in modernizing commercial farming to boost the Agric sector.

According to him, the subsidized fertilizer and minor interventions by government alone have minimal impact in reducing the cost of farming.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Comfort Asante said the Assembly which was recently inaugurated is cognizant of the importance of Agriculture to employment creation, therefore, efforts will be made to support many youths who opt to engage in farming.