An organic farmer, Mrs Olusola Sowemimo, has advised Nigerian youth to embrace the numerous opportunities in agriculture.
Sowemimo, founder, Ope Farms, gave the advice in an interview in Lagos, weekend saying young people should be interested in agriculture as the opportunities in agribusiness were viable.
She said there was need for youth to have the knowledge required so as to be successful in agribusiness.
”Youths can leverage the numerous opportunities in the agriculture value chain which include content creation, processing, packaging and marketing, among others.
”There are areas of being producer, retailer, exporter, farm auditor, soil expert, among others. These will help them reap the benefits in the ecosystem,” she said.
Sowemiwo said youths should show passion for agriculture, be patient and persistent, so as to succeed in the business.
”Young people showing interest in agribusiness must have strong will-power not to give up. You must be creative and innovative.
”Do more research and ask farmers who know more about agribusiness. You must be able to market what you produce.
”You need to set standards in order to make it in agriculture, set your goals and pursue everything good that aligns with your vision,” she said.
Earlier at the programme, Chief Executive Officer of Binkabi, a platform for issuing, trading and financing commodities on the blockchain, Quan Le, said the application of block chain to agriculture would ensure many people involve in agriculture.
Le said Binkabi, a marketplace of connecting end-buyers and end-sellers of commodities, had partnered with Sterling Bank and AFEX to unveil a platform to digitise domestic and cross border agriculture commodity trading.
”Blockchain technology not only simplifies commodity trading, it resolves the inefficiencies and complexities in the food supply chain,” he said.
The convener, Oluwafemi Aliu said people needed to be aware of agribusiness opportunities to take advantage of them.
Aliu, who is the founder of MyFarmbase Africa, said the event was organised to democratise the opportunities in agribusiness, leveraging technology.
He said that AgriTech Lab 2019 provided participants with the AgriTech skills and education to plug into the employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the African Agribusiness Landscape. (NAN)
