PAN Wants Government-Private Sector Collaboration For Youth Employment In Agriculture

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The Lagos State Chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) on Tuesday said that only government-private sector partnership could ensure success of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP).

YEAP was initiated on September 2013 by the Federal Government to create employment for young men in rural areas based on priority agricultural value chains to enable them to earn decent livelihoods.

Under YEAP, a fresh graduate who engages in agriculture business is funded to operate them.

The General Secretary of PAN, Mr Olugbenga Ogunsetan, told Food Farm News (FFN) in Lagos that the only approach to achieving success was to engage fresh graduates in agribusinesses before disbursing funds.

Ogunsetan said that the pragramme was a laudable one but required caution as it has to do with the country’s economic growth and food security.

“You want to empower fresh graduates to go into agribusiness and you are saying they draw up a business plan based on which the funds will be disbursed to them is a wrong approach.

“Such persons require training to know how to adequately manage the funds or else the government’s idea of growing the economy using the scheme will fail.

“Let us look at it in a practical sense, if you are giving a fresh graduate N10 million to establish a farming enterprise he will not make good use of it.

“If the fund is given to an already practicing farmer, you will discover that the capital will not be wasted as almost the entire sum given to them,’’ he said.

“If this programme must work, the right approach to it is that government should begin to look at the private sector.

“People that are well grounded in agribusinesses like production, packaging and processing. These fresh graduates should be attached as agricultural trainees to these people.

“So, that they will acquire practical experience, during those periods.’’

According to him, it should be the responsibility of government to give them salaries and by so doing, create employment for them.

Ogunsetan added that government could also consider having farm settlements that would further strengthen economic growth and improve the country’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

“During those periods they can now establish farm settlements like we used to have in the old Western Region and even in the East.

“Where agricultural facilities would have been put in place to facilitate the success of the business, you are sure of having laid the foundation for that farming business you want to empower them on.

“Otherwise, we will continue to come and say we have given so and so millions of naira for empowerment and we are not able to recoup the funds,’’ he said.