We‘II encourage youths to embrace agribusiness for food security —Oyebanji

Ekiti State governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has said his government would put all machinery in motion to encourage youths in the state to engage in agricultural business, to help boost the state economy and the food security agenda of his administration.

The governor, who stated this while on a working tour of some agricultural projects in Ado- Ekiti, said he was impressed with the resolve of some youths to embrace agriculture full time, stressing that one day, they too would become employers of labour.

The project sites visited by the governor included the Livestock Development Centre, which provides platform for the Ekiti Broiler Production Scheme; A-Bamsil industrial factory, a palm kernel processing plant; and JMK rice mill.

Oyebanji said government alone cannot fund agriculture, hence, the need for improved public, private partnership to reposition the economy of the state.

He said his administration would build platforms and institutions aimed at collaborating with private sector players to open up space for Ekiti people to apply their expertise in the drive to ensure everyone lives well.

The governor, who addressed some of the youth participating in the broilers scheme,  promised to remove all forms of constraints in doing business in the state.

Oyebanji said agriculture plays significant roles in the economy, added  that it has the capacity to employ thousands of youths, make them enjoy vibrant and profitable means of livelihood and enhance the economy of the state.

According to him, “Part of our plan is to encourage our young ones to go back to farm. The broiler scheme for our youths is a pilot scheme and I’m so impressed that our young ones are now showing interest in agriculture and it speaks to one of our agenda on agriculture, job creation and youth development.

“And by God’s grace, once this one is stabilised, we intend to expand it. The beauty of this project is the fact that government will hand-hold them through the whole process of production.

“There is also a guaranteed market to off-take from this. Once they master what they are doing, they will be given a pen of their own that will belong to them, from which they too can employ labour and make money and it speaks to our shared prosperity agenda.”

Conducting the Governor round the JMK Rice Mill, the General Manager, Lanre Solaja expressed his appreciation to the Governor for the visit, adding that when fully operational, the mill has the capacity to produce 160 metric tons of rice per day.

The Managing Director of A-Bamsil industry, Mr Idowu Owoyomi, who said the factory is capable of refining 250 metric tons of palm kernel, highlighted some of the products the factory is capable of processing to include cooking oil, cosmetics, oil for perfumes, soap among others.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Full list: Covenant University ranks among Top 10 varsities in Africa

Covenant University, in Ota, Nigeria, has been ranked 7th in Times Higher Education’s (THE) inaugural Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings for…

PEPC: Tinubu’s Chicago University admission transcript has female gender, Witness tells court

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja on Friday, admitted in evidence a transcript in…

‘How gunmen slaughtered vigilante operative in Enugu’

Gunmen have reportedly killed a member of the vigilante group, otherwise known as the Central Neighborhood Watch in…

OFFCUT: Anything associated with Titanic ends up on sad note, Nigerians react to ‘submarine implosion’

Nigerians have reacted to the recent ‘implosion’ of a submersible called Titan which claimed the lives of…

‘NFF may have seen enough of him’, Ike Shorunmu speaks on possible renewal of Peseiro’s contract

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu, has expressed doubts about the renewal of head coach Jose Peseiro’s contract by…

The student loan scheme

LAST week, in fulfilment of his campaign promise, President Bola Tinubu signed into law the Student Loan Bill as…