Agona Nkum (C/R), Oct 13, GNA - Madam Efua Frimpomaah, Central Regional Best Farmer in 1997, has expressed concern about the demand of collateral from farmers by the banks before granting them loans. She said the practice is killing the zeal of farmers in the country. According to her, the high interest rate being charged by the banks also discourage the youth from getting into farming ventures.

Madam Frimpomaah, who is 72 years old, was speaking after conducting Ghana News Agency (GNA) round her farms at Agona Nkum. She said anytime she approached the banks for financial support, officials demanded her land title documents before looking at her application, adding that, the situation has demoralised her. Madam Frimpomaah who is the President of "Nyame Wo Ho" Cooperative Farmers and has livestock, plantain, oranges, palm oil, cassava, sugar cane, a fishpond and a snail farms appealed to the government for assistance.

She also urged Agriculture Extension Officers to render quality services, adding that, farmers find it difficult to get them for advice. "Mankind's petrol is nothing than the food and without that man cannot survive," she said

She called on the government to assist farmers to feed the nation and to purchase vehicles to convey foodstuff to the marketing centres to save them from middlemen who buy their farm produce cheap at the farm gate.