The French government is assisting Ghana with $11 million to step up cotton production in the country, Dr Majeed Haroun, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in-charge of crops has announced.

He said although Ghana is considered as a major cotton producing countries in the World, its annual output is nothing to write home about comparing her to other West African countries.

Dr. Haroun said while countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo and Benin are producing up to 500,000 metric tonnes annually, Ghana could only manage 14,000 metric tonnes, which is far too low.

The Deputy Minister said this during a farmers' rally at Wa as part of his familiarisation tour of the Upper West Region to explain government policies on food and Agriculture to farmers.

He said the assistance from the French government was also to help Ghanaians to come out with quality cotton garments to export to other countries especially to United States of America in pursuance of the government's Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)

Dr Haroun said the government under the Export Development Investment Fund (EDIF) would give loans to farmers and industrialists to establish their own industries to reduce the high rate of unemployment and also to step up development projects.

"The government will give up to $500,000 dollars to each industrialist or group depending on their financial strength," the minister hinted.

On non-traditional crops, Dr Haroun promised that the government was trying to acquire more funding for farmers to improve on the production of sheanuts, cashew and other crops that are on high demand on the world market.

He said the ministries of food and agriculture and lands and forestry are to establish long-term measures of controlling bushfires in the country.

"By doing this, we shall even start educating people on bush fires during rainy seasons so that it will be carried forward to dry seasons."

On the zoning system of cotton production in the country, Dr Haroun said it is to promote competition for Ghana to catch up with other African countries.

He said the government was working out a programme with the Japanese government to acquire enough tractors for farmers in the country.

During an open forum, some farmers enumerated their problems, which were mainly the lack of financial support, modern implements and the high cost of inputs.