By Dipo Olowookere
Federal Government has collaborated with the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA) to train over 500 unemployed graduates across 16 states of the country to serve as mentors for future generation of farmers.
Provost of the College, Dr Samson Odedina, who noted that they are the future of agriculture in the country, disclosed this recently at the opening ceremony of the five-day vocational training in modern agriculture on the campus.
According to him, “This present training is being held in tandem with our mandate to support government interest and investment in agriculture, which centres on job creation and employment for young people.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria is the sponsor of this training, as approved in our 2016 capital project, with the aim of training of unemployed graduates on profitable agricultural value chain job opportunities.”
Aside using profitable agro-ventures as smooth vehicle for the project, he affirmed that the college would subsequently provide post-training linkages that would ensure that trainees remain in profitable agribusiness.
Mr Odedina assured the trainees that they “have taken the first step to wealth and prosperity by seeking training that is key to best practice, cost reduction, increased efficiency and profitability, which will eventually make you the next agro-millionaires.”
He added that the increasing demands for agricultural products and services in the society widen the prospects in the sector for them, urging them to “take the training and fill the gap.”
The Provost lauded the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), other national and international partners for their support.
Similarly, he commended over 5,000 regular National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) students for demonstrating profitability in agriculture and value chain projects while in school.
“The initiative is so successful that our students are already successful farmers while in school; and there is also less likelihood that they will abandon agriculture”, he said.
Chairman of the occasion and member representing Akure South/North Federal Constituency, Afe Olowokere, said the scheme was a laudable one for the unemployed graduates, especially now that the nation is battling with economic recession.
Guardian
Modupe Gbadeyanka