The National Agricultural Land Development Authority, (NALDA) has resolved to engage 28 thousand youths across the country in agricultural production to enhance food security and economic diversification.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Mr. Paul Ikonne disclosed this to reporters in Katsina shortly after he paid a working visit preparatory to the take-off of the program.
He who explained that in the pilot phase of the programme, 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 noted that the pilot states were selected from the six geo-political zones of the country, as more states will be picked in subsequent phases of the programme to maximize its impact on the economy.
Mr. Ikonne noted that “the essence of the programme 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 products and the global 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. 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 General Muhammadu Buhari Government House, Katsina the NALDA team held a closed-door meeting with Governor Aminu Masari.
The governor while briefing newsmen after the meeting said the state government will provide agricultural land for NALDA for the purpose of training and engaging youths in agricultural production.
He noted that “80% of our people are farmers and we have projected that our engagement with NALDA will create more jobs for our people while also boosting the rural economy”.
“I believe this approach is a major departure from what NALDA used to do, this is a more practical approach and it will impact directly on the rural and national economy”, Masari noted.
Earlier, the team was at the palace of the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji AbdulMumini Kabir where the Executive Secretary of the NALDA solicited the Emir’s support by encouraging rural dwellers in the state to lease out idle land to NALDA to enhance agricultural production in rural areas.
The Emir while urging the federal government to put in more effort in the fight against armed banditry which has obstructed farming and commercial activities in some LGAs in the central and southern parts of the state further pledged total support for the program.
He, therefore, appealed to relevant agencies in the agriculture and forestry at both the state and federal levels to commit more resources in combating desertification which according to him threatens agricultural land in the Sahel part of the country.
