The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) through it YAS project, yesterday, donated farm input and machines to young farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The YAS project, which is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, donated the items to 135 farmers it earlier trained in the value chains of aquaculture, poultry, horticulture and other commodities.
The items donated included 148 bags of fish feed, fingerlings, tarpaulin collapsible ponds, smoking kiln for fish processing, broiler starter feed, full irrigation kit for horticultural crops, 2,000-capacity water tanks, fertilizer and chicken plucker, which removes feather in a few seconds.
The initiative is a youth in agribusiness model that was established to address the problem of widespread youth unemployment and to provide a platform that propels youth toward self-employment in agriculture.
The Chief Executive Officer, IITA Youth in Agribusiness Office, Ms Aline Mugisho, explained that the input support was a sequel to the training and continued mentoring provided the young farmers, with the aim of helping them to scale-up their businesses.
“We are reaffirming our commitment to raise a new generation of young agripreneurs,” Mugisho said adding that “this programme is about providing not just verbal support but tangible resources to ensure these young people can thrive in agriculture.
“We believe in building the next generation of agripreneurs who will replace and supply major industry players in Nigeria. By using the right technologies, we aim to produce affordable, safe food,” she added.
Mugisho called on the beneficiaries to make good use of the items, noting that the project would be ready to give them more support if the items were used judiciously.
She stated that the project had the mandate to train 10,000 youths in various agricultural commodities.
One of the beneficiaries, Ogechi Felicia, stated that the training and support she received from the project, “Was an eye-opener for me, revealing many things I didn’t know about fish farming. This programme has helped me expand my business and cope with the high cost of feed.”
On her part, Sadiya Usman said she learnt a lot because before now, “I never had any experience on how to rear fish. With the training, I now know how to properly feed and breed fish, which has significantly improved my farm’s productivity.”
A young poultry farmer, Umar Farouk Ali, said the support, even though it might not be enough for some, “is a significant start for those with a plan in place.”
