The Ekiti State Government will on Tuesday disburse ₦1 billion to 4,657 beneficiaries under its Bring Back Our Youths in Agriculture programme.
The initiative, launched in partnership with YSJ Farms Limited, is designed to empower young people to engage in commercial agriculture, promote food security, and drive economic growth across the state.
No fewer than 13 cluster farms have been established under the programme, providing opportunities for youths to participate in organised agricultural production.
Participants receive training, improved seeds, fertilisers, access to markets, as well as modern farming equipment and technology.
In a statement made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade, said the ₦1 billion represents profits realised from the programme’s last farming season.
He explained that the initiative aligns with the state government’s empowerment drive to strategically reinvest in agriculture to achieve food security and create sustainable wealth for both the state and its citizens.
According to Boluwade, the programme is primarily focused on empowering youths by providing access to land, farm inputs, technical support, and a guaranteed market, enabling young farmers to build sustainable livelihoods and earn a steady income.
He further assured that revenues generated from farm clusters and other government-led agricultural enterprises are continually reinvested into the sector to sustain growth and expand opportunities.
He noted that ₦145 million was similarly earned as profits and disbursed to 911 youths under the scheme last year.
“The initiative operates a cluster-farming model covering crops such as maize, yams, soya beans, cassava, vegetables, rice, and beans (cowpea).
“The State Government’s commitment to the programme has actually resulted in an increase in farm cluster centres from five to twelve, located in Eporo, Ose, Ikere, Ogotun, Omuo, Egbe, Aramoko, Oke-Ako, Iyemero, Gede, Isan/Ayede, and Ise, with over 5,000 hectares of land cleared for farming, and five of the centres equipped with fully functional dormitories,” he affirmed.
