Madam Gloria Odarkor Lamptey, a 61-year- old fishmonger based at Chorkor, who is also into goats rearing and owns three canoes, was on Friday adjourned the 2010 Overall Best Farmer for the Accra Metropolis. She received a set of furniture, cloths and farming equipment. Twenty one other farmers were also awarded and they took home farming equipment including wheelbarrows, shovels, fertilizers and ghetto blasters. In a message read on his behalf at the Farmers' Day celebration in Accra Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, the Mayor of Accra, praised the agriculture sector for employing between 50 to 60 percent of the nation's labour force. "Its contribution to the Gross Domestic product (GDP) is about 37 percent and it's also a major contributor to the foreign exchange earnings of the country," he said. Mr Vanderpuije said more food should be produced to reduce the high expenditure on food in the country and also make it available for all. He cited the establishment of Block Farming which provided tractor services, improved seeds and other services to farmers and the establishment of the Buffer Stock Company which would also ensure the availability of food during lean seasons, as some of the measures government had taken to boost farming. "The fertilizer subsidy programme has come to correct the many complaints about the abuse of the previous system which used the coupons system," he said. He said the government had initiated plans aimed at providing opportunities to the youth to engage in its Youth in Agriculture (YIA) programme. In the livestock sector, he said, the Livestock Development Project had also supplied 800 sheep to 80 farmers in the metropolis and that the 10 sheep each farmer received would be collected back in two years time to be given to other farmers who might need them. He said 100 boats and canoes had been registered on pilot basis at Chorkor and Jamestown landing sites in order to assist the owners. "Premix fuel committee has been formed at all landing sites and are operational and profits accruing from the sale of the premix fuel shall be used to develop the communities", he said. The Mayor praised to the East Dadekotopon Development Trust Fund for making land available to AMA for agricultural purposes. Source: GNA