The National Service Secretariat (NSS) is to expand its block farming programme in the Ashanti Region to cover five other regions. Officials say the success of the Ejura pilot, initiated two years ago, makes it a viable national project. Director at the Ashanti Regional Secretariat, Kwesi Quainoo, said the scheme has through the initiative produced large quantities of maize for supply to second-cycle schools. Chiefs in Ejura provided huge tracts of land, divided into blocks and allocated to personnel, mostly from agricultural institutions for cultivation. The NSS funded the project, with support from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Mr. Quainoo told Luv News the project is part of the scheme’s contribution to ensuring food security in the country. A total of 1,100 hectares of land were put under maize cultivation in the major and minor seasons in Ejura. The over 6,000 bags of maize realized were sold to senior high schools in the region. According to Mr Quainoo, an additional 40 hectares of land have been acquired for an animal husbandry project. The NSS has been holding a three-day workshop in Kumasi to develop a roadmap for the implementation of the project in the five selected regions. Emanuel Akuna, National Coordinator of Youth in Agriculture Block Farming Programme, says the Agriculture Ministry will take advantage of the programme to draw the youth into farming. He disclosed that the project will be replicated in the Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Central, Greater Accra and the Upper East regions. Five Toyota Hilux pickup vehicles were presented by the National Service Secretariat to project managers of the block farming project in the five regions. Story by Kwabena Owusu-Ampratwum/Luv Fm/Ghana