VICE Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Professor Kolawole Salako, has bemoaned the lack of youths’ participation in agriculture.
Professor Salako said adequate participation of youths in the Agric sector would help close the ‘wide gap’ between the demand for and supply of food.
While speaking at the 2019 Agribusiness Excellence Recognition Award, organised by the Golden Crown Agricultural High School, Awa Ijebu, Professor Salako lamented that Nigeria does not have adequate agricultural production to sustain its growing population.
Professor Salako, who was represented by the deputy director, Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC), Dr Olalekan Oyekunle, tasked Nigerian youths on the need to take up agriculture as a business and means of livelihood.
The vice chancellor advised professional farmers to ensure they have a succession programme to assist young ones to be actively involved in agricultural practices.
Professor Salako said: “The population of developing countries such as Nigeria is increasing at a very high rate and that means that we have myriads of people all over Nigeria and they need to be fed.
“For us to feed them, there is the need for increased agricultural production to meet the full demand of these people and reduce importation.
“When we look at the demand for food and production of food, you will see that there is a wide gap between the two.
“We do not have sufficient food production and we have more demand for food, and this may be as a result of many factors such as lack of succession programme because the majority of farmers in the rural areas are becoming too old with little or no youth participation.”
He reiterated FUNAAB’s commitment to helping young ones achieve their dreams of becoming successful agriculturists in the future, adding that over 650 students from 16 secondary schools had been trained on different agricultural enterprises, including the production of crops, poultry production, snail growing, fishery, bee-keeping practice, and honey, among others.
At the event, the African Food Survival Ambassadors (AFSA) presented AFSA awards to 18 professional farmers, including the Ooye of Iwoye-Ketuland, HRM Oba Joel Alaye; Onimeko of Imeko, HRM Oba Benjamin Olanite and Dr David Akinsola, among others.