FG trains youths on vegetables production

The Federal Government (FG) through National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, Oyo state has commenced training of the nation’s youths in vegetables production in both low and uplands with irrigation applications for round the year planting.

30 youths participated in the official opening of ‘’ Horticultural Academy for Youths (HAY)’’ held  last week in NIHORT premises at the instance of the FG where modern farming skill for vegetables cultivation were impacted to enhance commercialization and more economic earnings of the participants who also expressed their gladness in the training.

The Executive Director (ED) Dr.(Engr.) Muhammad Atanda speaking on the occasion said the training was  part of the ongoing efforts of the FG through her Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) to reduce unemployment among the youths with mentorship of nine months on low and uplands vegetables farming , adding that over 600 youths had in the past benefitted from this kind of trainings.

Atanda stated that “The training will build the capacity of our youths. This is part of the charge from the government and Federal Ministry of Agriculture to train unemployed youths. Our main aim is to make them to embrace Agriculture and build their capacity to produce crops along our mandate for local and export consumption of vegetables”

One of the participants, and a beneficiary from Oyo state Young Agropreneur Mr. Daniel Nwangu in a chat with Foodfarmnews  commended the training for its timeliness, adding that the practical leg of it has commenced on the NIHORT farm site today Monday ‘’ 16 January, 2023’’ and the program is expected to be monitored for nine months to ensure effectiveness.

Dr.  Olutola Oyedele of NIHORT however pointed that the consumption rate of vegetables by individual household in the country has called for more cultivations by the youths, adding that the Institute would provide facilitators and effective monitoring of the program to achieve its aim and objective.

She stated that vegetables could be planted all-year round with the assistance of irrigation facilities which had been inculcated in the training, pointing that doing this would redirect the energy of our youths into farming and modern agricultural practices to income earnings.