News: Abia State Government to Create 3,000 Jobs through Youth Agriprenuer

Abia State government said it will tap into the Federal Government youth agricultural programme to create 3,000 additional jobs in the state, BusinessDay has reliably gathered.

The state also intends to establish poultry villages in three senatorial zones, to encourage youths and other people, who have interest in poultry farming with little or no funds to realize their dreams.

The state government will provide seed money to the beneficiaries after their training, which would commence with 200 people.

According to Obinna Oriaku, Abia State commissioner for finance, Investing in agriculture, in which the state has comparative advantage, will not only create jobs, but would eradicate poverty and increase the internally generated revenue of the state.

Oriaku, in an interview with BusinessDay in Aba, the state's commercial hub, explained that the poultry villages would have feed mills, venterinary sections, cold rooms and marketing sections, noting that farmers would be allowed to rent facilities at the farm village at subsidised rates.

He also noted that Government, would partner investors in the project to empower young farmers with funds.

President Muhammadu Buhari has plans to engage about 740,000 youths as part of his government's effort to boast agricultural revolution in the country.

Buhari said his government will establish Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) which will benefit 20,000 school leavers and rural youth leaders in each state of the federation and develop 18,500 university graduates into young agribusiness entrepreneur called "nagropreneurs"

The new government's agricultural development programme is aimed at attaining local self-sufficiency in food production and yearly export of 10 million tons of grains and processed food by 2019.

Source: BusinessDay