Do More To Make Agriculture Attractive � Nana Dr. Asante

Nana Dr. Susubiribi Krobea Asante, Omanhene of Asokore, has urged government to do more to consolidate and boost the attraction of the country�s Agriculture. He said there was the need to make carefully planned efforts towards aggressive mechanization, and the supply of basic tools to increase productivity and returns. This is the way to go to motivate the youth to take up farming, and stop their migration to the cities and urban centres. Nana Dr. Asante, who made the call through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Asokore in the Sekyere East District, noted that the nation�s Agriculture over the years, had not been as successful as expected, because it had not received the desired attention. It was about time policy makers ensured that it became central to the national economic development strategy. He warned that it would be detrimental to focus just on the extractive sector and push Agriculture, which has been the backbone of the economy, to the margins. The Omanhene said he would want to see government take steps to sustain the Youth in Agriculture Project in the districts, and to teach out-of-school youth farming techniques. He also stressed the need to provide farmers with access to credit, and to tackle the bad nature of feeder roads running through the farming communities, to make it easier for the evacuation of farm produce to marketing centres. Nana Dr. Asante said marked improvement of the agricultural sector would ensure food security, and an increase in the production of cash crops for export, to lay the foundation for the development of food processing industries, and fuel industrialization and economic growth.