The leaders of the association were at the President's residence to express their appreciation to him for the many initiatives he had brought into agriculture, particlarly in the cocoa, coffee and sheanut industries.

Priority

President Mahama said the government had prioritised agriculture and was investing heavily in it.

"We are seeing an increase in the growth of agriculture," he said explaining that agricultural growth last year was 2.4 per cent, while first quarter growth for this year was 2.3 per cent, a clear indication that this year would see an even better growth.

He added that the government was not relying only on rain-fed agriculture but also investing in irrigation.

The President said as a result of systematic investment, irrigated lands had increased from 110,000 hectares in 2008 to 200,000 hectares currently.

Industry growing

He said the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) was working with Touton, a French cocoa processing company in the country, to supply two million coffee seedlings to farmers throughout the country.

On the cocoa industry, he said the government would continue to provide the necessary inputs to farmers to help them expand production.

Currently, he said cocoa farmers were paid about 75 per cent of the world market price as producer price, which he described as an incentive to farmers.

President Mahama said the sheanut industry was also receiving the needed attention and cited the opening of a processing plant at Buipe in the Northern Region as an example.

Two more processing plants would be opened in the Upper East and the Upper West regions, he said.

He pledged the commitment of the government to set up a shea board.

President Mahama urged farmers to go out in their numbers to vote peacefully on December 7.

Government has performed

The Chief Farmer for the Western South Cocoa Region, Mr Johnson Mensah, cited the increase in cocoa producer price, the supply of inputs and scholarships for children of cocoa farmers as some of the areas where the government had performed creditably.

"We know how well you have handled cocoa farmers and we will ever be grateful to you," he said.

For his part, the Northern Regional Chief Farmer, Alhaji Imoro Issifu Alhassan, urged farmers not to allow some politicians to deceive them that agriculture had taken a nosedive under President Mahama.