‘Agribusiness holds opportunities for youths in rural economy’

Experts in the agricultural sector have affirmed that given the agricultural potential and promise of this country, young people could take advantage of the rising opportunities inherent in it to grow the rural economy.

Foluso Phillips, chairman, Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), states that “agriculture value chain provides plenty opportunities, which is more visible in the value chain that comprises of getting food from farm to fork.”

According to Phillips,”the agricultural value chain is comprised of various things. These actors include input suppliers, seed, soils and fertiliser merchants, raw food producers, processors, transporters and food retailers.

“Together with government, private sector and civil society stakeholders, they are all responsible for the business of agriculture. Also, through the value chain, actors and stakeholders add value at different points in time to products and services before they reach the consumer.”

He, however, suggests that policy makers in the agricultural sector should address some constraints, which include a limited number of processors, limited availability of resources like financing and access to support services.

He explains that opportunities from the value chain in the agricultural sector could turn around present trends in rural-to-urban migration that finds most youths in rural areas abandoning agricultural jobs for the hope of better life in the city, which is often not there.

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development through its Department of Extension services had earlier in the year through the minister, Akinwunmi Adesina, and the director of agricultural Extension services, Damilola Eniaiyeju, launched 800 motorcycles to be utilised in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT in ensuring that extension services could reach the remotest rural areas with focus on growing the rural economy.

Harrison Edeh