Ngleshie Amanfro (GA), Nov. 14, GNA - Vice President Aliu Mahama on Friday urged the private sector to complement Government's efforts at modernising agriculture by investing in appropriate technology to eliminate the hardships associated with production and the processing of food.

He said under the Government's agricultural mechanisation policy appropriate forms of farm-power and mechanisation technologies would be made available to all categories of farmers, fishermen and agro-processors to improve production and other related activities on a sustainable basis. Vice President Mahama was speaking at a ceremony at which he handed over the keys and title deeds to a 300 million-cedi three-bedroom house to

Mr Abudu Takora, the 2002 National Best Farmer, as his prize. Vice President Mahama noted that many tractors and other farm machinery used in most farming communities were very old, resulting in their constant breakdown.

"As a Government, we are making efforts to procure and bring farm machinery, especially tractors," he pledged.

"Government is also supporting the development of small-scale and micro irrigation schemes for small-scale farmers, while feasibility studies for large scale irrigation development especially in the Accra plains and the Northern Region were being conducted."

Vice President Mahama, however, stressed that the intervention of the private sector was crucial for facilitating the modernisation process. He said: "As an agricultural-based nation, the needed dividends from

the agriculture sector can only be achieved if private-public sector partnerships are strengthened and appropriate investments are carried out. "Investors are, therefore, encouraged to invest in agro-processing to add value to our agricultural raw materials, especially the highly perishable produce like fruits and vegetables as a means of increasing food

security and raising the income of our gallant farmers and fishermen." He advised farmers to utilise the Government-supported Farmer Based Organisations Fund for small-scale farmers to build their capacity. Vice President Mahama encouraged the youth to take up farming as efforts were being made to make it a lucrative business.