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Mr. Morris Sinkari, Wa Municipal Director of Agriculture, has suggested the need for government to sustain the Expanded Crop Production Programme introduced this year, with the objective of boosting food security and providing jobs for the youth. He said the programme, which was the baby of his sector ministry should be maintained and extended to cover crops like soya bean, rice and dorado or "kapala", a new variety of sorghum. This, he said would in the long term alleviate poverty and minimise the annual migration of the youth from the farming communities in the North to the South in search of employment. Mr. Sinkari made the suggestion when he briefed members of the Municipal Assembly, on block farming initiatives and other government interventions in the agricultural sector, at the second ordinary meeting of the assembly in Wa on Wednesday. He said under the programme, a total of 94.4 hectares of block farms were cultivated in seven communities namely, Busa, Kampaha, Kpongu, Dandafuro, Charia, Bamahu and Sombo. Mr. Sinkari expressed the hope that there would good yields from the block farms due to a combination of factors such as the good and consistent rains this year and the supply of subsidised fertilisers to the beneficiary farmers. Touching on the general fertiliser distribution in the municipality this year, he said a total of 12,200 coupons of four different types of fertiliser were distributed to farmers as at August 31. However, in September more fertiliser was demanded even as the farming season was getting to an end and additional consignment of 2,000 coupons of compound fertiliser and sulphate of ammonia were received on September 15 and their distribution are currently in progress.