FARMERS NEWS
Better
days are ahead for the teeming population of unemployed youths in the
South-West. The good news came from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and six states in
the South-West geo-political zone.
A youth
empowerment programme, entitled: Agribusiness Opportunities in Pineapple
Production for Unemployed Youths in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti
States, has been initiated to sustainably bridge the gap between pineapple
supply and demand in Nigeria.
The
pineapple production initiative is expected to help youths in the zone on
massive job creation, income generation, food and nutritional security,
poverty reduction and increased foreign exchange earnings. It is also expected
to check the importation of fresh pineapple fruits – sugarloaf being grown on
the hillsides of the Allada Valley in Benin Republic, with allegedly
questionable sanitary status into Nigeria through Lagos State.
At least,
2,400 unemployed youths who are interested in pineapple production would be
engaged over a period of three years. A total of 400 unemployed youths would be
selected in each of the participating states.
The
government, as gathered, would introduce the cultivation of two exotic
pineapple varieties; MD-2 for its export potential and Sugar-loaf for local
fresh fruit consumption. Also, the Federal Government, with the assistance of
FAO, would import one million suckers/plantlets of MD-2 to boost the
agribusiness.
