Abia to create 3,000 additional jobs through agriculture

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

This is also as it intends to establish poultry villages in the three senatorial zones of the state, to encourage youths, who have interest in poultry farming, but with little or no funds, to realise their dreams.

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

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

Buhari said his government would establish Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), which would 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.

He explained that the return of marketing corporations is to serve as the main platform of the government’s programme, which is also expected to lead to the development of 740,000 market-oriented young agricultural producers from the teeming population of unemployed youths.

Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHEs) – a private sector led mechanisation programme which will inject a total of 6,000 units of tractors and implements, 15,000 power tillers, 20,000 planting and postharvest equipment to mechanize an estimated 4 million hectares of land nationwide

The President noted that, “diversification of our economy is no longer something to pay lip service to”.

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

Oriaku, in an interview with BUSINESSDAY in Aba, the State’s commercial hub, explained that the poultry villages, would have feed mills, vetinary 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.