General News of Thursday, 28 June 2012

Source: Daily Guide

Kufuor Turns Farmer

Former president John Agyekum Kufuor is not spending his time out of political office only on pressing international matters.

The former national leader, according to information reaching Daily Guide is also a big time farmer who is contributing his widow’s mite to ensuring food security in the country.

Mr. Kufuor whose tenure lasted two terms reportedly owns a 100 acre cocoa farm at his hometown of Daaba in the Aywima Nwabiagya constituency of the Ashanti region.

Kwame Marfo, supervisor at the huge farm told Angel FM in Kumasi the former president who loves farming has a vision of expanding the farm to 200 acres in the near future. “Plans are already in the pipeline by former president Kufuor to expand the farm so that we can produce more cocoa,” he said.

He said he was taken aback when the former president whose political career had taken him across the globe meeting the most influential people on the planet came out with the farming idea. “Initially I did not believe that Mr. Kufuor of all people, considering his high reputation, would want to come back to the village and start farming,” the farm supervisor said.

Mr. Marfo who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the farm noted the former Ghana leader started the farming business in the area about five years ago. He disclosed that through the farming business Mr. Kufuor had employed 70 people who had no jobs.

Mr. Marfo said the former President intermittently visits the farm to see how things are going; noting the astute politician normally holds a hearty chats with the workers whenever he visits.

He praised Mr. Kufuor for paying the 70 farm workers promptly saying that but for his timely intervention, they would still be languishing at home without work.

The farm supervisor entreated other top politicians and affluent people in the county to emulate Mr. Kufuor’s example by venturing into the farm business.