The Western Region has awarded 35 best farmers and fishermen for their outstanding work with Mr Moses Ekow Ogoe, 55, from the Ahanta West District, as the overall best farmer of the area.

Mr Ogoe cultivates vegetables, rubber, coconut, citrus, spices, trees, and oil palm on large tracts of lands; and has livestock, poultry and fish farms.

He received wheel barrows, poultry feed, welling boots and machetes as prizes.

Seventeen farmers from the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis were also honoured, with Mr Ekow Prah from Whindo, being the Metropolitan Best Farmer.

He took home a deep freezer, a radio, cutlasses, wax prints and wellington boots.

Madam Esi Gyasiwa from Mberdani emerged the Best Female Metropolitan Farmer.

All the winners received certificates and various prizes at a ceremony at Apremdo, near Takoradi.

The theme of the national celebration is, “Eat What We Grow”, and the climax event comes off on Friday, December 1, at Sefwi -Wiawso in the region.

Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, the Regional Minister, explained in an address, read for him by his deputy, Mr Alfred Ekow Gyan that the Region held the programme ahead of the national event to enable the farmers to participate in the national celebration.

He said: “This year’s cropping season did not benefit from subsidies programme and the impact of this on productivity over the major and minor seasons may result in low production and poor harvest”.

“We should, therefore, be expecting lower food carry over to the first and second quarters of 2015”.

To reverse the situation, Mr Aidoo suggested the early implementation of the subsidy programme to enable the farmers to increase their yield in the next season.