The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) says it has concluded plans to train about 2,040 youths on fish farming in Borno.
Executive Secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul-Ikonne, who disclosed this when he visited Governor Babagana Zulum, in Maiduguri on Monday said that the aim was to empower and create employment for the youths.
“We want to assure you that we will partner with you and put our programme down to empower the youths and reduce unemployment, they will in turn be employers of labour,” Paul-Ikonne said.
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He said that the youths would be empowered under the back-to-farm and national young farmers scheme of the Federal Government.
According to him, the beneficiaries will be trained and equipped with fish processing packages to enable them generate income and become selfreliant.
He said that the revival of NALDA was motivated by the passion and drive to ensure food security across the country, statin further that “we are in your state based on the President directive to reactive and recover NALDA abandoned estate across the country.
“Also to inform you that Borno State has been chosen as one of the state for all the pilot programme of NALDA.’’
Paul-Ikonne added that the agency would purchase two million bags of rabbit waste which would be used as fertilizers by the farmers. In his remarks, Gov. Zulum said that the programme would impact positively on the state.
The governor said it would help to solve the lingering problems which had affected the Internally Displaced Persons means of livelihood. He said that the state had total landmarks of 75,000 square metres of landmass and about 80 per cent of it was arable.
“We don’t need fertilizers in most part of the state. The insurgency impacted negatively on our populations, thousands were displaced and most of our lands were left fallow for many years.
“Now we are in the process of resettling people to their communities for them to engage in their livelihood. There is no better time than now for the government to partner with your agency,’’ Zulum said.
He noted that the state government would partner with NALDA in land development, food and fibersecurity as well as youth and women empowerment.