Ekiti State Government is sponsoring a team of 100 youths and women who are currently undergoing training on rice seed production and value chain by Africarice at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture( IITA ) in Ibadan. This is in the state government’s continued effort to boost capacity and improve agribusiness with focus on its areas of comparative advantage , poverty alleviation and increase in IGR.
The training ,which aims to provide high yielding improved rice seeds, farm mechanization equipment and networks with service providers in agribusiness, is expected to impact the local rice producing capacity of Ekiti State in line with the Agriculture and Rural Development pillar of the Fayemi led administration’s five policy priorities.
Declaring the training open , the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Fayemi who was represented by the Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Folorunsho Olabode, charged the beneficiaries to be dedicated and make judicious use of the life – changing skills that would be deposited in them in the course of the training, noting that it was high time the youth looked away from oil and redirect their focus to agriculture for sustainable wealth.
Governor Fayemi reiterated his administration’s commitment to equip Ekiti farmers with skills, knowledge and best practices for quality rice seed production to further encourage and boost rice processing and production in Ekiti State.
The training, which commenced on Monday 23rd September 2019 is excepted to last for one week and at the end of the training, all beneficiaries would be given 50kg bag of rice seed as start – up packs to commence rice production in Ekiti.
