By Bisola Adeyemo
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi announced on Tuesday that his administration has put in place machinery that will attract $200 million investment in the Agriculture sector.
The governor said the ventures when fully operational will provide jobs for more than 500,000 people in the state, directly and indirectly, adding that this is part of efforts aimed at transforming the state from being a civil servant economy to an agric-based industrialized economy.
This was disclosed during the governor’s interactive session with Ekiti youths themed, “Ekiti Youth, Let’s talk: Engaging youth in agribusiness,” in Ado-Ekiti.
Fayemi who presented a paper and sat through one of the sessions, also cut his birthday cake with the young Ekiti entrepreneurs at the event, which was also attended by his wife, Bisi Fayemi and some top government officials.
He explained that “the farm settlements and farm centers have been repositioned for massive harvest and processing, to feed the cargo airport upon completion, ”so that Ekiti will become a food basket in Nigeria and a net exporter of semi-finished farm produce and products.”
Fayemi highlighted some programmes and policies of the government that have created opportunities for youths in commercial agriculture.
He advised youths within the state to ensure they embrace agriculture with an assurance that his administration would “continue to provide the additional impetus that would make agribusiness attractive and lucrative in the state.”
While describing the Ekiti youths as hard-working, Governor Fayemi emphasized that “there is need for young and energetic youths to venture into agriculture to diversify the national economy.
“The government’s efforts and youth engagement in agribusiness can assist the nation in closing the food deficit gap of over 3 trillion naira recorded between 2006 and 2019 in the country.”