Mr. Sylvester Adongo, Northern Regional Director of the Food and Agriculture has advised farmers in the three northern regions not use the recent flooding as an excuse and abandon farming. He said every business had an element of risk and that the disaster was of natural cause, which no one had control over and called on farmers not to be discouraged this year's weather hazard as means of deterring them to quit farming. Mr. Adongo gave the advice on Friday at the Northern Regional Farmers' Awards Day held at Saboba in the Sabob/Cheriponi District. In all, 27 personalities including five women and a blind person received various prizes with a 38-year-old Nakoja Batumbe, from Kpandai in the newly created Kpandai District emerging as the overall regional best farmer. Mr. Adongo appealed to the Meteorological and Hydrological Services Departments to establish early warning sign systems to provide timely information to those living in the low land areas. He said it was necessary for farmers to diversify agriculture to include intensive livestock production and aqua culture so as to take advantage of the excess water in the system to undertake irrigation projects such as vegetable production during the dry season. Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister expressed concern about the ever-increasing rate of bushfires in the three Northern Regions and called on District Assemblies to review and implement laws on bushfires to address the situation. He said the government was committed in bridging North-South gap hence the establishment of the 250 billion cedis fund as seed money to address the problem and called on citizens of the north put their political affiliation aside and offer suggestions on how to address problems of the north. Alhaji Idris reminded Ghanaians of the 2008 general elections, which, he said, required the commitment of all to ensure peace and unity before, during and after the elections, no matter whichever party emerged as winner. He advised farmers not to abandon farming in 2008 and follow politicians since all Ghanaians would be depending on them for food saying, "You have the key to sustaining our economy. Don't let election 2008 divert your attention from farming." Mr. Azumah Namoro Sanda, Saboba/Cheriponi District Chief Executive called for measures to rehabilitate all roads leading to food producing centres to ensure that farmers gained from their produce. He commended the government for creating the Cheriponi District and gave the assurance that he would collaborate with whoever would be appointed to head the new district for development. Source: GNA