The National Agricultural Land Development Authority, (NALDA), is to engage 28 thousand youths across the country in agricultural production to enhance food security and economic diversification.
The Executive Secretary, Mr. Paul Ikonne stated this in Katsina where he paid a working visit preparatory to the take-off of the program.
Mr. Ikonne explained that in the pilot phase of the program, the agency has selected 14 states where it will train 100 youths in three Local Government Areas each on various forms of agricultural production.
He said the pilot states were selected from the six geo-ploitical zones of the country, as more states will be picked in subsequent phases of the program to maximize its impact on the economy.
Mr. Ikonne noted that “the essence of the program is to engage as many Nigerian youths as possible by giving them employment and empowering them with skills and tools to handle the business aspect of farming”.
“This will enable farmers to get value for their produce, and the globa economic trend warrants that we call on everybody to go back to farm.
“The government of president Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that farming will be fully mechanized to make it more attractive and more profitable, and that is what NALDA is driving.
He said “in this project, we will engage institutions, corporate bodies, governments, and individuals to lease their land that is not in use so that we could put it to use in a way that will contribute to economic productivity and youth employment”.
While at the Government House in Katsina, the NALDA team held a closed-door meeting with Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
Earlier, the team was at the palace of the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji AbdulMumini Kabir Usman where the Executive Secretary solicited the Emir’s support by encuraging rural dwellers in the state to lease out idle land to NALDA to enhance agricultural production in rural areas.
