The duty of the government is to provide employment and food security by empowering the youth in vegetable production and aquaculture with N1.5 BILLION under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Julius Egbedi disclosed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Asaba, the intention of the state government to wipe out unemployment and ensure food security. The Delta State Government in in relation to this has secured NI.5 billion under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Accelerated Agriculture Development Scheme (AADS) in the state.
However, this benefit is limited to 500 youths. These youths will be trained in Agriculture specifically Vegetable production such as tomato production and aquaculture such as fisheries. This training will also cover building of Green Farm Houses and the training will take place at three locations in the three senatorial districts of the state. He revealed that the project will commence after the rain subsidies
The commissioner explained saying “Agriculture is a sector that by its nature has the capacity to create jobs for the youths but the sector has long been abandoned and made redundant over the years. So, the effect is now unemployment, banditry and other vices that now plagues food security.’
Aside the training made mention, he stated some other intervention the state government has and will undertake in attempt to improve the agriculture sector such as training livestock farmers and empowering them with soft loans to embark on their programmes. He made mention of the fact that the state government has also provided soft but revolving loans to farmers into aquaculture and is working on getting these soft but revolving loans for farmers in piggery production as well. “We have also guaranteed farmers cooperatives to secure loan from the CBN and have secured about 34, 000 hectares of land to enable them boost production in commercial quantity,” the commissioner added.
He further stated that the State Governor, His Excellency, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has given his approval for these initiatives and programmes to avert the food crisis of the state. Mr. Egbedi attributed the food insecurity and unemployment of the state to natural disasters such as flood but he also notes that some of these causes can be attributed to man. These men include governments who have failed to support the agriculture sector and added that the agriculture sector has been left without support for years. This he said is now responsible for the unemployment and food security now.
He attributed some of these causes also to the inappropriate and haphazard way of felling trees, inappropriate way of dumping refuse and Fulani herdsmen who attack and disrupt farming activities with their animals. The state commissioner finally added that these crises are now receiving attention from the Okowa-led government and in effect, food security and employment will be ensured.
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