Accra, Dec. 01, GNA - Akuafo Hall, of the University of Ghana, has commended the government for recognising the important roles of Farmers a= nd Fisherman in the socio-economic development of the country. "It was from the sweat and toil of our Farmers and Fisherman that Gh= ana was able to rely on the commodity boom of the 1960s to record not only a balance of payment surpluses but also made giant strides in socio-economi= c development," it added. Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Hall master of Akuafo Hall, said this when the Hall hosted this year's National Best Farmers in Accra, on Tuesday, ahead= of the 26th National Farmers day celebration scheduled for December 3, this year.

He said the hall has taken it upon itself, as a mandate, to show gratitude to the hardworking farmers and fisherman of the country every year, adding that, this was the seventh time. He noted that the ceremony was to express the support for the government's effort in the inception and observance of the National Farme= r's and Fishermen's Day. Dr Antwi-Danso appealed to government, on behalf of the Farmers', saying "help the Farmers' to help the country". He urged government to construct the road network to crop producing areas, for easy transportation to the urban areas, to help generate incom= e for the Farmers'. He said Farmers' should not be prevented from accessing credit facilities that could assist them produce more food for the socio-economi= c development of the country. Mr Philip Abayori, President of the National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association (NFFAWAG), Ghana, said without the application of science and technology in agriculture, the country would not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. He said the association has created the Farmers investment fund, a trust which all Farmers, Fishers and agricultural producers must register=

with from February next year. The aim of the fund is to ensure liquidity and guarantee agricultura= l credit facility and loan for all Farmers.

He said the association, in partnership with the College of Agricult= ure and Consumer Science, of the University of Ghana, had signed an agreement=

that would further deepen the collaboration between the two institutions. Mr Abayori, pledged the support of the association to the student an= d presented ten bicycles and one motorbike towards the advanced of the stud= ent project, adding that "we have also approached the ADB to design a product= , which will cater for agriculture students, in various sphere's, to start up their own farms". Professor Benjamin Ahulu, Provost of the College of Agriculture and Consumer Science appealed to the Farmers to offer practical training to t= he agric students, to enable them to get first hand experience before leavin= g school. The Farmers and Fishermen from the ten regions were presented with t= he Hall's souvenirs, as a mark of honour, since it was through the hard work= of these Farmers that the Hall was built. The 2009 National Chief Farmer was inducted into the fellowship of t= he hall with a citation in his honour. 01 Dec. 10