Mr. John Enimil who was adjudged Prestea-Huni Valley’s District Best Farmer has described as an insult the awards that were presented to him at this year’s Farmers’ Day celebration held at Dumase near Bogoso.
In a typical ‘back to sender’ fashion, the Overall Best Farmer for the Prestea-Huni Valley District in the Western Region dramatically returned all the awards he received to the offices of the Department of Agriculture, describing the awards given him as an insult and a disgrace to him and Prestea-Huni Valley.
35-year-old John Enimil on Friday, December 1, 2017, went home with four knapsack sprayers, a bicycle, five wellington boots, eight cutlasses, a radio set, a flat-screen TV fridge, television, two bars of key soap and two packs of weedicides.
But Mr. Enimil is livid about the awards.
“The award presented to me is an insult,” he told host Captain Adabugar during Thursday’s Rite Morning Ride, adding that he has returned the awards to the district Agric Director who received them.
He also compared his award to those of previous years and said it was unacceptable.
“The total amount of the prizes I received is not even up to Ghc 3,500. Meanwhile, items given to the best district farmers for 2015 and 2016 amounted to Ghc 15,000 and Ghc 10,000 respectively,” the awardee asserted.
He was equally distressed that promises to him prior to the award to receive a tricycle turned out to be a deception.
“During the selection and the nomination period, the technical team in charge of the awards told me that I had been adjudged the best farmer for the Prestea Huni Valley district and that I was to receive a tricycle as the Grand Prize including other items,” he added.
He also went on to express disappointment in the organizers “for playing on her intelligence.”
“The District has embarrassed me and there is no way I will take the items again, they should take their items”, he added.
“What pains me a lot is a common certificate they didn’t give me some and these people think I’m not a person, they take we the farmers for granted”, he added.
Mr. Enimil owns 120 acres of rubber plantation, 52 acres of cocoa farm, 10 acres of sugarcane farm, 10 acres of palm nut plantation, 2 acres of rice farm, 2 acres of cocoyam, 2 fish ponds, 150 local fowls, 150 poultry fowls, 85 pea trees and 360 coconut trees.
Currently, he has a total staff of 15 workers.
This year’s celebration was under the theme,” Farming for Food and Jobs”.
Source; Prince Paul Amuzu/ritefmonline.org/princeamuzu667@gmail.com
