Government has been urged to introduce policies that will make the agricultural sector more viable and productive to attract the youth into farming.

Engineer Vincent Danny Gbedzi, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Agricultural Mechanization and Irrigation Technology at the Nyankpala Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS), who made the call, said there was the need for farmers to take agriculture as business to encourage others to enter the sector.

Engineer Gbedzi made the call in Tamale on Thursday when speaking at the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Business and Investment Forum on the topic: “Harnessing Climate Friendly Agricultural Opportunities in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone. What will it take”.

The week-long forum, which opened on Tuesday, aimed to facilitate and promote multi-stakeholder investment policy dialogue and business match-making opportunities.

As part of the forum, there was an exhibition of various agro, business and engineering products to showcase the potentials of the SADA zone.

He said, therefore, policies that made agricultural sector more viable and productive would ensure increased productivity and income for farmers to encourage others to join the agricultural sector.

He bemoaned the current situation where even students of Agriculture opted for other professions rather than entering the agricultural sector after graduation.

Engineer Gbedzi emphasized the need for agricultural financing and investment in research and development to enhance agricultural production in the country.

He called for measures such as soil fertility management to mitigate the challenges of climate change to ensure that food production was not adversely affected.

He also emphasized the need for harvest and market security to prevent post-harvest losses to ensure increased revenue for farmers.

Mr George Asamoah Amankwah, 2014 National Best Farmer, emphasized the need for a chain of market with competitive businesses ready to buy farm produce to prevent post-harvest losses.

Mr Asamoah Amankwah said, “If only consumers are buying farm produce, we will continue to have post-harvest losses.”