Ho, Oct 16, GNA - Mr Joseph Kwaku Nayan, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, on Monday appealed to financial institutions in the Volta Region to assist farmers in the region through investment in agriculture.

He said though the region was strategically located with agro-ecological zones, lack of financial investments in the agric sector was affecting food security.

Mr Nayan said this in a speech read for him at the regional celebration of World Food Day in Ho organised by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA).

He said the region had abundant water resource for irrigated agriculture and suitable land for the cultivation of all major food crops but is unable to produce enough due to financial difficulties.

Mr Nayan said about two-thirds of the land area could easily be mechanised to produce foodstuffs and plantation crops but were left for the "poor rural farmer".

He said the situation had contrasted with the region's growing market demand and underscored the need for a concerted effort from all to invest in agriculture to overcome hunger and reduce poverty. Mr Nayan called on banks to develop business relationship with farmers for their mutual benefit.

Mr David Quartey, the Volta Regional Supervisor of the ARB Apex Bank, said as the oversight body of Rural and Community banks, his outfit had disbursed 78.2 billion cedis to farmers nationwide as at August.

He said the challenges were the advent of bush fires during the dry seasons, floods in the rainy seasons and other marketing problems that affected the repayment of loans given out to farmers.