TAKING into cognisance of the fact that youth empowerment is essential for the economic development of the country, the Tomatoes and Orchard Processors Association of Nigeria (TOPAN) has made known its intention to empower not fewer than 1,000 young farmers through a training in tomato production.
Managing Director of the association, Mr. Bola Oyeleke, who unveiled the plan in Abuja, recently, said the objective of the programme is to encourage Nigerian youths to embrace agriculture.
According to him, TOPAN has entered into a partnership with a firm in Netherlands, which specialises in greenhouse farming and other technologically advanced agricultural practices, for technical support.
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He noted that after the plans have been concluded and experts would be deployed to Nigeria from the Netherlands, adding that the firm will see to the installation of a tomato processing plant.
Oyeleke, said that the plan was to establish farm settlements in different states in Nigeria and all the value chains would be in one location to cut down on losses and enhance productivity.
“It will be a situation where the farmers will transform knowledge gained from the training into wealth, because whatever yield they come up with at the end of the day will be off-taken from them to feed the processing plant.” He said.
Oyeleke, concluded that TOPAN has started making necessary arrangements with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other relevant stakeholders to implement the project.
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