President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday directed that all abandoned farm estates of National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) be retrieved to enable thousands of young men and women engage in farming.
He announced this at the launch of National Young Farmers Scheme, designed by NALDA to spur more youth interest in farming.
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Buhari, who implored agencies involved in agriculture to further streamline their priorities in the inclusion of youth in driving modern methods of farming, assured all those interested that an enabling environment will be created for full participation.
He said agriculture remained the backbone of the Nigerian economy, being the largest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
“We will do more to expand, modernize and revolutionize our agriculture, which is our most important asset.
“I’ve directed that all NALDA’s abandoned farm estates be retrieved to enable thousands of our young men and women to be engaged in farming. This administration will be achieving agricultural mechanization through this scheme and I am confident that Nigeria under my watch, we will achieve food security in producing most of what we eat. In good harvest years we may even export our surpluses and earn foreign exchange,” he said in a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina.
“By virtue of my passion and desire for agriculture and also as a farmer myself, I’m directly supervising NALDA as an authority under the Presidency,” Buhari said.
Senate President Ahmed Lawan said there was a need to encourage agricultural agencies, like NALDA to work closely with the research institutions in Nigerian universities.
Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State Buhari had solved the problem of lack of access to capital by the youth with the newly launched scheme.
NALDA Executive Secretary Mr Paul Ikonne said: “Our focus is to engage 1,000 farmers from each of the 774 local government areas, thereby creating 774,000, direct employment annually.”
