President of the National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association (NFFAWAG), Philip Abayori, is urging government support for the National Service Scheme (NSS) to replicate its agricultural projects in all districts of the country. He believes the step will not only create jobs for hundreds of youth, it will also position agriculture as a modern-day business worth the investment of young Ghanaians, and eventually establish the nation as a net exporter of food. A stunned Abayori could hardly hide his joys after touring a couple of the NSS’ farms in the Central Region, explaining that the projects sit perfectly with national desire to entice the youth into agriculture and serve as training grounds and avenues for the transfer of appropriate industry technology and practices. The vast, mechanised maize farms have heavy stalks and Mr. Abayori said the technicalities - plant population, fertilizer application and general farm management - have properly been handled. “I will appreciate that wherever they are getting this support from – the Ministry of Food and Agriculture or government – should support them to have farms of this nature in every district because it will create employment for the youth and also let our farmers come to learn from them to see that agriculture is really a business.” Mr. Abayori, who predicted a bumper harvest for the NSS from its maize farms in the Central, Eastern, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Greater Accra regions, told myjoyonline.com in an interview that with proper support, Ghana’s agriculture should transit from subsistence farming into large commercial scale in no time. Support, he said, should come by way of equipment – combine harvesters and tractors, dryers and sorters, irrigation gear, fertilizers – to consummate the message that commercial farming in Ghana is viable. It will also reduce post harvest losses. Pledging his associations support for the NSS’ projects, which are being done in conjunction with the Youth in Agriculture projects of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the NFFAWAG president said “we are also prepared to put our knowledge, practical knowledge free of charge for them to achieve what they want to achieve because we are ageing and the young ones must take over the agriculture sector with modern and efficient methods so that we can have enough food. “You realize that across the world – Somalia, today Uganda, all the countries, there’s hunger. In Ghana we don’t have hunger and this kind of farms if we have them across the country, we will be able to guarantee national food security. So I’m very, very impressed and proud that we have these our young people we normally will call akrakyefo (scholars who must wear suit & tie) who are very serious in the field and making it possible that we should not go hungry. ”