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Ms Mavis Frimpong, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, has appealed to farmers in the Upper Manya Krobo District to form farm based associations to facilitate their access to markets for their produce. She said when in groups, directing assistance to them was easier than on individual basis. Ms Frimpong was speaking at a meeting called at the instance of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to meet with farmers who were complaining of their farm produce rotting on the farms because of lack of market. The Deputy Minister assured them that the government was interested in agriculture since it was the mainstay of the economy and would therefore do everything within its powers to ensure that farmers got assistance to remain in the business. She said the RCC would therefore liaise with some buying companies to purchase their produce. Mr Tetteh Angmor, Upper Manya Krobo District Chief Executive, said despite the location of popular markets such as Sekesua, Akateng and Asesewa, farmers had challenges in marketing their goods. He said farming was the main occupation in the area and therefore any problems faced by farmers affected the socio-economic development. The Assemblyman of the area, Mr Andrews Tepketey enumerated the problems faced by farmers in the area mentioning bad roads for carting their produce and lack of ready markets for their produce as the major challenges facing them.