The Coordinator of the Krachi-East National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), Mr Douglas Koranteng has suggested that pumping machines be bought for the youths registered under the programme living in the vicinity of perennial rivers to engage in all year round farming. He said the opportunity the machines would give them to farm all year would sustain their interest in agriculture as their incomes would also increase. Mr Koranteng who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dambai said despite the late start of the programme last year a group of 174 youths from 10 communities in the area cultivated close to 300 hectares of rice and maize which had an average yield. Mr Koranteng said more youths had applied to join the programme, which is being expanded to cover animal rearing. He commended chiefs in the area for willingly giving land for cultivation under the programme. On the education component of the programme, Mr Koranteng said 229 Community Teaching Assistants were recruited to fill vacant positions in the classrooms in the district. Source: GNA