FG Makes Farming Attractive To Youths

youth farmers

As part of plans to tackle unemployment amongst the Nigerian youth, the Federal Government has designed a scheme – Commercial Farmers Training Project (CFTP) – that will enable youths in the country embrace farming.

The Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mallam Abubakar Mohammed, who disclosed this at the inauguration of the scheme in Ogun State said the project, would afford youths the opportunity to embrace farming as a means of livelihood after acquiring skills at the NDE agriculture training centres nationwide.

Mohammed, who was represented by the State Coordinator, NDE, Mr. Femi Oyenekan, explained that the youths would form a cooperative group after training and run the project for a year.

He said the 100 beneficiaries in Ogun State, which includes school leavers, would undergo a month experiential training in poultry and market garden crop production at the NDE training centre in Odomefi, Ijebu East Local Government Area.

“The Commercial Farmers Training Project will afford our youths the opportunity to embrace farming as a means of livelihood. They will get modern farming skills and techniques at the NDE agriculture training centres nationwide and thereafter, form a cooperative group in 12 selected states.

“The trainee farmers will run the viable project for a year to enhance sustainable employment and linkage with a collaborating bank for start-up capital.” the Director General said.

Also speaking, the head of the state Rural Employment Promotion, Dr. Olusegun Akinremi, said the trainee farmers would be taught ways of accessing start-up capital with ease from any bank, accessing insurance back-up from the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Cooperation and other benefits from agencies of government.