Lawra (UW/R), Oct. 12, GNA - Mr Ernest Debrah, Northern Regional Minister said on Saturday that agriculture, which holds prospects for the overall development of the country cannot achieve the desired results, if farmers do not change the traditional farming practices that hinder productivity and instead adopt scientific methods imparted to them by agricultural officers.

He made the observation when he stood in for President J.A. Kufuor at this year's "Kob-bine" festival of the chiefs and people of the Lawra Traditional Area in the Upper West Region at Lawra.

Mr Debrah, who is also acting as the Upper West Regional Minister in the absence of the Regional Minister, Sahanun Mogtari, who has travelled abroad, assured farmers in the country, and farmers in the Lawra Traditional Area in particular that their concerns had been recognised by government and that efforts were being made to address them.

The Kob-bine festival marks the beginning of harvesting with the presumption of bumper harvest.

Among the dignitaries at this year's festival were the Burkina Faso Minister for Regional Co-operation, Mr Somda Jean De Dieu, MP for Lawra/Nandom Dr Benjamin Kunbuor and the five District Chief Executives in the Region.

Mr Debrah announced that a number of projects were due to start soon in the traditional area.

These include a contract for the rehabilitation of the Lawra township water system, which had been a source of concern for the people.

He said another contract had been awarded for the expansion of the water system in Babile, also in the traditional area. The Minister explained that the expansion would enable the people to benefit from a reliable water supply system.

In addition, the tradition area would benefit from the upgrading of a number of feeder roads.

As part of the celebration, Mr Debrah presented one carton of Schnapps and cash two million cedis to the Lawra Traditional Council. Mr Debrah commended the chiefs and people for the relative peace in the area and urged them to sustain it.

In his welcoming address the President of the Lawra Traditional Council, Naa Abeifaa Karbo II appealed to the government to put in good shape the Nadowli-Babile-Lawra road.

Naa Karbo, who is also a member of the Council of State, urged the government to connect Babile to the national electricity grid. Members of the Lawra Area Youth Development Association at Tamale, Kumasi and Accra-Tema contributed a total of 29.5 million cedis to an educational endowment fund set up by the traditional council.