We'II re-enforce youth in agriculture programme - Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has stated that government will reinforce the youth in agriculture programme to make agriculture attractive to the youth, should he win the upcoming polls. He said, the NDC wants to make agric become a business, young people are interested in.

They are going to go into agriculture using mechanized and scientific methods of farming.'' The president made the remarks when he gave highlights of the party's manifesto in Accra on Tuesday.

According to him, the key elements in the strategy is to strengthen farmer based groups such as cooperatives. Government he explained will construct storage facilities to prevent post-harvest loses.

There will be agriculture mechanization and farmer support. And this is my key initiative for launching the green revolution in Ghana. Farmer service centres will be established all over the country.

The first 50 are ready to take off in collaboration with SADA.'' The service centre he explained, will register farmers to benefit from the planned mechanization programme including improved seeds among others.

We'll continue to expand cocoa production...We'll introduce a new plantation module under Private Public Partnership (PPP) to increase cocoa production from 750, 000 tonnes to over 1 million tonnes.

The NDC will establish a cashew board, increase cotton production, introduce coffee production and farmers are going to be given seedlings for free, he assured.