The corps members, who are graduates of various academic disciplines, underwent training conducted by Synergy Impact Limited on value addition to agricultural commodities like fish, roots and tubers, grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as packaging.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the five-day training programme organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) in Ilorin, the Executive Director of the institute, Prof. Lateef Sanni, said the main objective of the programme was to encourage self-reliance, self-employment and ensure productivity for the youth.
The NSPRI boss, who said that agriculture was no longer an act but a business enterprise that blossoms everyday due to recent happenings, added that value addition to agricultural products remains a viable and trendy aspect of agribusiness that creates job opportunities, increases farmers’ income, ensures abundance of food and loss reduction.
“Nigeria is expected to be the world’s third-most-populous country by 2050, with over 300 million people, according to the United Nations. The present development demands youth engagement in agribusiness as it is being seen practised in some developing countries as a crucial asset to achieving sustainable food security.
“Recognising this, the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) becomes a dependable partner for the youth corps members to boost their skills and improve networks for the next generation of Nigeria’s agricultural entrepreneurs by harnessing the potentials in the post-harvest value chain of agriculture,” he said.
Sanni, who said that any of the trainees, who submits a promising proposal at the end of the service year, was open to securing N2 million, added that the institute had supported three corps members with N2 million each as startup seed money following verification of their business proposals after their service year in Kwara and Oyo states.
The Executive Director of the NSPRI also said that the training had been held earlier in Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Lagos and then returned to Kwara State, adding that it was the ninth in a series of capacity building for corps members on value addition and post-harvest management of agricultural crops by the institute.
“NSPRI is the only research institute saddled with the sole mandate to research post-harvest management of agricultural crops produced and consumed in the country, to reduce post-harvest losses, maintain the quality and ensure food safety and security.
“NSPRI with over 60 years of post-harvest research delivery has developed various technologies and appropriate techniques for handling, processing and storage of different categories of agricultural commodities suitable for Nigerian market and export,” he added.
The institute appreciated the state coordinator of the NYSC, Mr. Olu Onifade, for buying into the programme and for the release of corps members to participate in the training.
Also speaking, Director, Agriculture Services, Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Hassan Mohammed, charged the corps members to think big and start small.
He encouraged them to turn themselves into smallholder entrepreneurs towards exporting their products to African States, especially with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
Also, the NYSC State Director, Olu Onifade, said the era of white-collar job was over, adding that this is the era of skill induced economy.
He said that the agency holds the issue of youth development in high esteem, urging the corps members to build confidence in their ability.
