Regional News of Thursday, 5 March 2009

Source: GNA

Agric students should be exposed to mushroom production- Centre

Mensahman (E/R) Nsawam, March 5, GNA- Reverend Yong-Hak Lee, Director of the Voice Agricultural Training Centre at Mensahman, near Nsawam, in the Akuapem South Municipality, has called on private and public agricultural training schools, to introduce mushroom, snail and silk production to their students.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, at Mensahman near Nsawam, at a day's seminar organised by the Centre for students, he said introducing agricultural trainees to such courses would make them self-employed after graduation. Rev. Yong- Hak promised to give seed money to the best student of the centre, at the end of every academic year, to start his or her own small-scale agro-based industry.

The centre, which offers tuition in general agriculture, provides free accommodation for students. Students are trained to use modern equipment such as tractors and power tillers. Maize and pineapple are cultivated at the centre, for export to earn foreign exchange for the development of the nation.