Bayelsa State Government is sponsoring 500 Agric trainees on a six- month Agricultural Development Programme at Songahi Farm in Republic of Benin.

The State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, stated this in Government House, Yenagoa while speaking at the second send-forth ceremony in honour of the beneficiaries, said the people were expected to acquire skills in different areas of agriculture, adding that on their return, they are expected to man massive farms that government is planning to set up in the State.

According to him, ‘when we set up these farms, there are people who will run them. we have technical partnership agreement already signed for massive cassava production with Denmark and Hungary. We are in the process of working with Israelis and others to set up big fish farms. We are going to have the biggest fish farms in Bayelsa. This State is going to be number one in Agriculture very soon.

‘We are currently working with people to set up poultry farms and setting up facilities to buy up everything that will ever be produced in the state. We are working with the people to create the market and develop the storage capacity.’

Describing the programme as first of its kind, the Governor said it is in line with the present administration’s Restoration Agenda to boost food production and as well fulfill the administration’s vision of diversification from the Oil and Gas sector of the economy.

He disclosed that in the actualisation of this policy, the Government had entered into bilateral agreement with Denmark, Israel and other technical partners across the globe for the establishment of fish farms, noting that in no distant time, Bayelsa will be a leading state in the agricultural sector of the economy.

As a proactive measure against acute shortage of food, the governor said his administration was developing storage facilities across the state for local consumption and exportation which was why the government in collaboration with the Federal Government is constructing an airport to facilitate transport of farm produce.

With the signing into law of the 2013 appropriation bill, Dickson said the government was set to establish a School of Agriculture in the state and urged the youths to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the government to develop themselves.

In his charge, he called on the beneficiaries to make the best of the training by becoming captains in their chosen careers as well as good ambassadors of the state and their respective families.

His words, ‘you are the real partners we want to have in building a great future for our people and that is why we have come up with various programmes to give you the skills that you need to operate successfully in an increasingly competitive environment.’