Wenchi (B/A) March 21, GNA - The Youth- in- Agriculture Programme created direct jobs for 47,000 people in 2009, Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture said at Wenchi on Saturday.

He said under the programme, 12, 000 hectares of land was cultivated by the beneficiaries who engaged mainly in rice, maize and Soya farming. Mr. Ahwoi made this known at the fourth matriculation and third congregation of the faculty of Agriculture of the Methodist University College of Ghana.

He said through the programme, rice and maize production registered an increased output of 29 per cent each. Mr. Ahwoi said this year, government intends to expand the programme to cover youth- in -livestock farming, youth- in- aquaculture and youth- in -agri-business.

He said 60,000 hectares of farm land would be engaged for the programme as compared to the 12,000 hectares in the previous year. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA)is increasing the adoption of mechanised agriculture from land preparation, planting, weed control, harvesting, processing and storage.

Mr. Ahwoi said under the programme, government was procuring and distributing a whole range of modern farm machinery and equipment, such as tractors, levellers, planters, sprayers and harvesters. To ensure that farmers have access to machinery, the ministry had established agriculture mechanisation centres to serve as one-stop-shop for farmers to procure their farming needs.

Mr. Ahwoi said such centres had so far been established in 64 districts out of the planned 170 districts.

He noted that agriculture is predominantly practised on small holder, family operated farms using rudimentary technology to produce about 80 per cent of Ghana 's total agricultural output.

He said statistics had shown that about 2.7 million households operated or kept livestock, saying Ghana produced only 64 per cent of its cereal needs, 68 per cent of fish requirement and 30 per cent of the raw materials needed for agro-based industries.

Mr. Ahwoi said as a result government spent between 500-800 million dollars per annum on the importation of rice. He said agriculture continued to contribute the largest share of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), even though the share of the sector in national output had declined from 44 per cent in the 1990s to 35 per cent currently.

Mr. Ahwoi said the annual growth rate of the agricultural sector in the last four years had averaged six per cent with cocoa contributing significantly.

He said during the last decade agricultural GDP grew at an average annual rate of 4.6 per cent, which was amongst the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

He said 30 dams in the Greater Accra and Volta regions are being rehabilitated whilst 500 boreholes are being constructed for irrigation, animal watering and agro processing in the 10 regions. Mr. Ahwoi gave the assurance that the government is determined to tar all roads linking agriculture and cocoa producing communities in the country to facilitate easy movement of goods and services.

The Minister said the ministry would establish an agricultural mechanisation centre at the faculty with the supply of five tractors and advised authorities of the university to identify the required agro- processing equipment for support.

Very Reverend Professor Samuel Adjepong, Principal of the university said the faculty had chosen the development of functional and effective commodity value chains as a sure way to reach its goals. He said the campus had as a result linked up with the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) and the International Fertiliser Development Centre.

Rev. Prof. Adjepong said tractors and some agricultural inputs received from the EDIF had enabled the faculty to render tractor services. He said through EDIF support, the faculty had produced and supplied several farmers with tons of certified maize, cowpeas and groundnuts seeds. Rev. Prof. Adjepong appealed to the MOFA to support the university by donating tractors for use at its agri-business development centres and agro- processing equipment for the training and manufacture of value-added agro-products.

Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church and Chairman of the University College Council urged the graduates to put into practical use, the knowledge they had acquired by venturing into farming enterprises.

A total of 80 new students matriculated to offer programmes in general agriculture, horticulture and agribusiness whilst 10 students graduated. The faculty established in 2006, currently runs three major programmes at three levels namely, certificate, diploma and degree courses.