The Youth in Agriculture programme is being restructured to increase its effectiveness in attracting and retaining young people.
Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister, said this on Wednesday during a call on him by the chiefs of the Sokode Traditional Area.
He said the overhauled programme was envisaged to tackle the drudgery of using hoes and cutlasses for farming, regarded as a big disincentive for prospective young farmers.
Mr Amenowode, who was reacting to lamentations of Togbe Fiakoku, III, Paramount Chief of the Sokode Traditional Area, about drunkenness among the youth in the area, said the agriculture project could provide jobs for the youth to keep them busy to forget or reduce alcohol intake.
The Minister pledged to facilitate the provision of infrastructure and a bus for the Sokode Senior Secondary/Technical School and basic school blocks for Sokode Lokoe, a fast growing satellite community of the Ho Municipality.
Togbe Fiakoku appealed to the Minister to facilitate the harnessing of the agricultural potential of the Sokode Traditional Area, noted for the production of legumes, root crops, and cereals.