Accra, May 15, GNA -Government has been urged to expedite action on the Agriculture Credit Fund Bill to enable farmers to access credit for production.

In a communiqu=E9 issued at the end of a four-day meeting in Accra on Thursday, the Platform, an umbrella body of farmer based organisations, said government must give the Bill the necessary attention to the benefit of peasant farmers. Currently, only about six per cent of total bank credit goes to agriculture.

In view of the problem, Government in the 2008 Budget Statement announced its intention to establish a self-sustaining Agriculture Investment Fund to focus entirely on funding agriculture and to introduce tax incentives in the banking sector to encourage banks to lend at favourable rates to the sector.

To facilitate the process, the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, a member of the Platform, early this year submitted a draft bill on Agriculture Credit and Competitive Fund to government to help in the process of enacting legislation.

The communiqu=E9 signed by Presidents of Apex Farmers Organisation of Ghana (APFOG), Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen (GNAFF), Farmers Organisation Network of Ghana (FONG) and the Peasant Farmers' Association of Ghana further urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to assist local farmers with processing equipment to enable them add value to their produce and encourage the consumption of made in Ghana goods. There is also need for steps to be taken to address agricultural policies contained in the Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction.

The Platform, which is involved in food production at the local level, is also demanding to be involved in the planning and implementation of the Ghana School Feeding Programme. The communiqu=E9 also called for the involvement of farmers in the determination of key policy issues that affect them such as National Budget and delegation on both local and outside meetings on agriculture. It also urged government to take a critical view of current challenges in climate and the global food crisis to review its energy policies, which have direct influence on agricultural productivity. The Platform is also calling on all the Presidential Candidates to meet with members to unveil their agricultural policies to the growth and development of the country farmers. Mr John Dziwornu, National Co-ordinator, the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen said by coming together, the group expected to tap the experiences of members in partnering with government and relevant institutions within and outside the country to sustain food security and economic growth.