By Abdullahi Alhassan Kaduna.
HOTPEN – The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Kaduna directorate has began a one week training for 50 youth on agricultural extension skills in order to awaken the interest of youth in agriculture.
The directorate also commenced the orientation of 108 loan beneficiaries who received N100,000 each to start their various agro based businesses.
Mrs Victoria William-Dada, the acting state coordinator, NDE stated that the training was developed as part of the NDE effort to equip unemployed youth with agricultural extension skills so that they could exploit opportunities in the agric sector.
“From today, you will be taught agricultural extension activities and roles of an extension agent, its qualities and principles.
“You will also learn component of agricultural extension delivery system, dissemination of research based production and practical demonstration on application of herbicides and insecticides”, she said.
She explained that the loan beneficiaries were derived from the directorate’s Agricultural Empowerment Scheme (AES) where 39 people benefited and the Sustainable Agricultural Development Empowerment Scheme (SADES) where 24 persons benefited.
She added that 24 beneficiaries were selected from the Graduate Agricultural Empowerment Scheme(GAES) while 21 were selected from the Community Based Agricultural Empowerment Scheme (CBAES).
Williams-Dada urged beneficiaries to channel loans received to agric business and make sure they pay back the loans so that more people would benefit.
Earlier speaking, Malam Abubakar Nuhu-Fikpo, the Director General, NDE urged participants of the training to pay attention to the lessons and support facilitators by obeying instructions.
The DG who was represented by Ibrahim Sulaith, the head, NDE North-West zone advised the loan beneficiaries to use the loan judiciously warning them against diverting the money for personal use.
Meanwhile some beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to the federal government and the NDE saying the money and knowledge received would assist them in becoming self reliant.
Mrs Phoebe Kaliyat-Luka who benefited from the N100,000 loan said she would ventures into fishery business, a business she had been trained on by the NDE.
Nasir Musa, a participant for agricultural extension training said he looked forward to learning the right way to plant and harvest farm produces.