Council Wants Youths In Agric Sector

The Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN),
Prof. Yusuf Abubakar,  has stressed the need for more youths in agriculture, to replace ageing practising farmers.
Abubakar said this in Abuja last Wednesday at the opening ceremony of a sensitisation workshop organised for youths with the theme, ”Promoting Youth Involvement in Agricultural Research and Innovation”.
He said that the workshop was to create awareness and promote youth participation in nation building through agricultural research.
The executive secretary noted that agriculture plays an important role in the nation’s economy, serving as a source of food, raw materials for industries, foreign exchange earner ent.and generation of employment.
”Today, agriculture is facing numerous challenges amongst which are ageing farmers and researchers and the lack of young people to fill these gaps.
”This has created great concern for the Federal Government and the need to address the situation is now a primary responsibility of all actors within the agriculture sector.
He urged the participants at the workshop to work together and come up with concrete strategies and recommendations that would improve the involvement of youths in agricultural research and innovation.
In her remarks, the Director of Youth and  to them in the sector.Gender at the council, Mrs Debora Ogbede, said the essence of the workshop was to unlock the potentials of the youths and make them realise the opportunities open to them in the sector.
She urged the youths to take advantage of the workshop and exploit the opportunities in the agriculture sector.