As the clamour for youth involvement in agriculture continues to take root, the FADAMA III has taken the bull by the horns as it commences the training of graduate youths and women in several aspects of agricultural business. JOHN OBA reports
Th e graduate youth and women training with the theme: “Graduate Unemployed Youth and Women Support Programme (GYUS) under FADAMA III programme was billed to take place in all states of the federation but was only held simultaneously in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with the aim of introducing the youth into modern agricultural techniques while giving them a good sense of direction.
Declaring the training open in FCT, at the FCT College of Education, the Minister of FCT Muhammadu Bello, who was represented by the Director, Human Resources at the Ministry, Hajia Amina Abubakar, said agriculture’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP is not in consonance with its potential, hence the administration will do all within its ability to support agriculture in the FCT. “FCT will give necessary support to agriculture. Since the most pressing problem of Nigeria is lack of youth involvement in agriculture, the training of 300 youth will further reduce unemployment. We want to assured those youth will to go into agriculture in the FCT that they would be given land. “Th ere are plans on ground for most of our youths to be given land to farm.
And more youth would be encouraged to join. Th ere are plans on ground to adequately prepare our youths for the next batch. Land would be made available since that is one of the condition for application and more youth would be encouraged to go online to register. We will embark on sensitisation of these youths to go online,” he said Speaking at the ceremony to usher in the training in Abuja the National Coordinator, Dr.
Tayo Adewumi, said: “We are starting with the fi rst batch of 23 states including FCT. We have maximum of 600 applicants per state in our database but for the fi rst batch, we have a maximum of 300 per states, though in some states, for one reason or the other, they could not meet the elementary criteria, it could not make us get the total number of participants currently because in some states, the participants are not up to 300, but after the training we will be able to get accurate fi gure of participants. We are looking at giving some of the states a second opportunity. For those having land challenge, it must be resolved. “
Also, we must understand that under this programme no youth was coarse into this. Th ey all applied voluntarily and they have chosen as enterprise of their own. Th is is the best way of engaging them, we have some in poultry section, livestock, cattle fatten, crop and some in fi sh farming, some are into agronomy/extension services and others into packaging.” On grant for those who may not get the fund provided after the training, he revealed that FADAMA would be willing to support all participants but that non-availability of funds may not permit that.
“During the application process, some were just asking for between N50,000 and N200,000, but when we shelve everything together, we realised that such amount cannot take them to anywhere. We are going to standardize the starter pack for them. “For instance, if experts on fi sh farming said with 1000 fi ngerlings we can make a living after three or four months, we will support you with that 1000 fi ngerlings, the feeding and with what it will take them to cross over from farming, processing, packaging and consumption. We will have monitor and evaluation mechanism in place throughout management information system.
“And the institute will continue to provide post training support for the trainees. And since we are having, coordinate, and geo-referencing of their places of operation and there would regular visit by the facilitators, extension workers that would work with them, giving them continuous technical assistance and capacity building. And after the get the fi rst produce to market. Th en there would be another capacity building on management, propensity to save, so they can put it back into the business. After the fi rst and second recycling, we have already draw up a mechanism to link them to sources of fi nance. So that those having 1000 birds will get a facility that would give him up to 5000 birds and they would be introduced into processing and marketing.
“Recently we have a meeting with Nigeria Incentive Risk Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) under the CBN, we are speaking with them on how they can assist those remaining from the 300 that may not get the funding after the programme. We want them to come and leverage on our platform. If we do it right, there are many donors waiting to upscale it, if we do it right. In some states, we should be able to support about 2000, or 3000 youths which is our target,” he explained On possibility of hijack, Adewumi said, there was no interference in the selection process. Assuring that those selected were done on merit. “We have an ICT platform where youth apply, sort and gets feedback without personal contact.
And we have grievance redress mechanism with lines to respond and guide youth on any grievance, they don’t need to be physically present. Some of the participants that spoke with Blueprint expresses hope that their dream of becoming agro-entrepreneur would be fulfi lled through the training. Th ey all hoped that fund would be made available for startup. Mr Offi ah, Onyakchi Victor, who is interested in poultry farming said his desire was to get full knowledge of agro-enterprise said since he has already establish a minor poultry, the knowledge and grant that would be gotten from the FADAMA would be use to expand his poultry. “Farming has been my passion, but I have decided to focus on poultry farming.
My hope is that I would be among those that would be given grant. I will use it to expand my farm while all the knowledge will enable me to improve on every aspect of poultry farming. Another participant, Mr Ewhubave Ogbenevwede John commended the government for the traning, saying his expectation is to go into full time farming. “Th is platform is an opportunity for me to enlarge my farm. I want to go into cassava farming and this is a perfect opportunity for me to get all the requisite knowledge. I have been farming for some time now, but in a limited form because there was not capital to do much, but with this, I will be better committed to this course
