"I wish to encourage the youths in the District to take advantage of the opportunities under the Government's flagship programmes such as access to improved seed and subsidised fertilizers to venture into agriculture to enhance and sustain their livelihoods," he said.

The DCE made the call at the Farmers Day celebration in the District at Peki in the Volta Region, on the theme: “Agriculture:  Moving Ghana Beyond Aid". He said 58 per cent of households in the District was engaged in agricultural activities, and challenged young people to get involved and turn the fortunes around.

Mr Mallet said 7,618 bags of subsidised fertilizers, made up of 5,565 bags of NPK and 2,053 bags of urea, were purchased by farmers under the coupon management system for the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

This resulted in high yields of crops, especially maize and rice, from 1.9 MT/ha and 2.1 MT/ha in the previous year to 2.9 MT/ ha and 2.6MT/ha respectively this year. He said it was time the nation embarked upon a sustainable agriculture development that would ensure food security, improve rural livelihoods and enhance her agriculture competitiveness on the world market.

The DCE said agriculture could be more rewarding when practised with higher and effective business principles, and appealed to chiefs and land owners in the District to release land to investors and young people willing to go into farming.

Mr Samuel Yao Adzivor, the District Director of Agriculture, said agriculture had a strong influence on social, political and cultural lives of the people because sufficient food production ensured sustainable food price and stabilised cost of living and wages.

He said a total of 1,180 farmers benefited from the Planting for Food and Jobs in the District.

Eight farmers were awarded with Mathias Gbedevi of Kpeve Wume, emerging the District Best Physically Challenged Farmer, who took home an ice chest, a half piece cloth, cutlass, a pair of wellington boots, a radio set and a certificate.

David Amedzo of Todome emerged the Best District Farmer and took home a motor tri-cycle, full piece cloth and a certificate.