Ghana Cocoa Board presents its farmer of the year accolade
The Ghana Cocoa Board has named Nana Kwabena Ponkoh II from Atatoase in the Obuasi District of the Ashanti Region as the 2020 National Best Cocoa Farmer.
As the industry organisation explained, the 65-year-old winner was presented with the prestigious award at the grand durbar for the 36th edition of the Farmers’ Day Celebration held at Techiman, the Bono Regional Capital on Friday 6th November.
Judges for the annual event noted that he has maintained a total of 72.11 hectares of cocoa farm in Obuasi; producing over 3200 bags of cocoa each year.
For his prize, the chief executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo, presented Nana Ponkoh II (pictured) with a range of items relevant to his work, including a key prize of a Toyota Hilux pick-up, a dual-purpose motorised slasher/pruner, and motorised spraying machine.
The National Best Cocoa Farmer expressed profound gratitude to the COCOBOD Chief Executive for the honour and touted the Productivity Enhancement Programmes as being pivotal to his attainment of the national award.
He also encouraged the youth to go into farming, particularly, cocoa farming; asserting that “the government is providing a lot of assistance to us farmers making farming beneficial and making us proud to be called farmers.”
Hon Boahen Aidoo also presented prizes to Rita Boateng Apraku (36), who has a 12.8-hectare cocoa farm at Ahyiayem in the Techiman District of the Brong Ahafo Cocoa Region and Peh Raymus (35) who also has a 10.4-hectare cocoa farm at Agona Port in the Diaso District of the Western South Cocoa Region.
The two were respectively adjudged the 2020 National Most Enterprising Female Cocoa Farmer and National Most Promising Young Cocoa Farmer. They were each presented with a single cabin mini truck, among other prizes. Similarly, Barichiso Ibrahim from Mamprugu Mogduri, won the 2020 National Best Shea Nut Picker accolade.
Twenty-six other award winners at the regional level, consisting of seven regional Best Cocoa Farmers, seven regional Most Enterprising Female Cocoa Farmers, seven Regional Most Promising Young Cocoa Farmers, and five Regional Best Shea Nut Pickers were as well presented with prizes.
