Mr Emmanuel Amoako, a-41-year-old farmer at Daadom, was adjudged the Sunyani Municipal Best farmer at the 30th national farmers day on Friday.

Mr Amoako has 10 acres of cassava, 10 acres of plantain, 14 acres of maize, 32 acres of cocoa, and seven acres of cocoyam. He also engages in poultry, livestock and vegetable production.

For his prize, the Municipal best Farmer received a tricycle, refrigerator, a number of cutlasses, wellington boots, and other farm inputs at a ceremony at Benue Nkwanta on the theme “eat what you grow”.

Twenty distinguished and other deserving farmers engaged in mix-farming in the Municipality, were also honoured. They received cutlasses, wellington boots, spraying machines, radio cassette players, torch light, shovels, wax print, key bar soaps and agro chemicals.

Mr Kwasi Oppong Ababio, Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, advised the youth to engage in large scale-farming as the government provided farmers with free farm inputs including fertilizer.

He noted with regret that some of the people engaged to distribute government’s fertilizer to farmers, were selling the chemical, and warned that offenders would be prosecuted.

Mr Ababio advised farmers, especially those in deprived communities to be vigilant and help arrest those selling the fertilizers.

Divisional Officer Three (DOIII) Francis Gaisie, Sunyani Municipal Fire Officer who inaugurated a 75-member fire volunteers, reminded Ghanaians that the ban on group hunting was still in force, and that offenders would be prosecuted.

He disclosed that bushfires in the municipality saw a drastic reduction, from 35 in 2013 to seven cases as at November this year.

DOIII Gaisie advised local communities to support the fire volunteers, and asked farmers to be cautious of the way and manner they handled naked fire, to prevent and manage undeserved fires.