Agriculture
THE Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) has onboarded beneficiaries of the Youths Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness (YEAP) in crop production enterprise.
This is contained in a statement by Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, the State Commissioner Information, Culture and Tourism, which was made available to newsmen on Sunday in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that youths were part of the 3, 300 beneficiaries who received training at CSS Farms, Nasarawa State, in 2021.
In his remarks, Dr Debo Akande, the OYSADA Director-General, said that the onboarding and orientation marked the beginning of the project’s second phase for the beneficiaries.
Akande said that each of the 100 beneficiaries would get land allocations for crop production at Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub.
“As part of their orientation, youths had been taken to the allocated land, where land preparation is ongoing.
“The youth will get inputs as needed, as they embark on land cultivation and crop production.
“They will also get technical and agricultural extension support from OYSADA,” he said.
Akande urged other YEAP beneficiaries to be patient with the state government, saying that the authorities were working assiduously to ensure that more beneficiaries get the needed support.
He said about 120 beneficiaries had received enterprise support from the state government prior to this project, adding that more would be empowered as funds are available.
The director-general said that the state government’s approach in offering practical training to youths was superior to simply giving handouts and funds to individuals that would not contribute to economic growth.
Akande thanked youths who were already using the knowledge they acquired during the training to improve their existing businesses, urging others to emulate them.
NAN reports that part of the programme were representatives of the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NCARES).
Also, as part of the support to YEAP beneficiaries, the Oyo Arm of NCARES tagged: “Oyo-CARES” would be profiling YEAP beneficiaries who already have agribusinesses for further support.(NAN)
A.I
Tags: Dr Debo Akande Dr Wasiu Olatubosun
