Monday 29 November 2021: The Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Obafemi Awolowo University, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, today kicked off its ‘Training and Empowerment Programme on Agricultural Value Chain for Youths in Oyo South Senatorial District’.
The training which is taking place at the Prof.E A Adebowale Training Hall, IAR&T is one that is meant to equip the youths with the knowledge and skills in agricultural value chain needed to support their families, ensure food security and contribute positively to the economy.
Executive Director, IAR&T, Prof Veronica Obatolu in her address at the opening ceremony of the 7-days event disclosed that the training which is being facilitated by the Honourable Senator of Ibadan South Senatorial District, Senator Kola Balogun, is one that cuts across the value chains of maize, melon, soybean, mushroom, cowpea, rabbitry, snailery, sheep, fisheries and poultry.
She urged participating youths to take advantage of the opportunities that exist in the agricultural sector, adding that this is a time when youth need to take agriculture as a business and tap into its unending resources and opportunities that could be generated from it.
Prof. Obatolu while commending the activities of the institute said, “IAR&T serves the needs of the Nigerian farmers in general and farmers in the South-western Nigeria in particular. The institute has a national mandate on soil and water management, genetic improvement of kenaf, as wellas zonal mandate on cereals, grain legumes, livestock and farming systems research.
“The institute is the coordinating research institute for research and extension activities for Southwest Nigeria.This mandate saddled the institute with the coordination of research and extension activities of Agricultural Development Programme (ADPs) of states in the zones for improved farm efficiency and agricultural productivity.”
Senator Kola Balogun in his remark lamented the increasing number of jobless Nigerian youths as he claimed that this is due to the non-diversifying state of the Nigerian economy and the negligence of the agricultural sector by Nigerian youths.
 He recalled that in the past, the east produced palm oil; the southerners produced cocoa while the north were major producers of groundnut.
The senator regretted that the over dependence of the Nigerian economy has done more harm than good.
He urged the participating youth to take advantage of the training as it could help them become better individuals and make them employers of labour.
Some of the participants who spoke with CEOAFRICA expressed their delight and readiness for the training while also urging the facilitators to improve in terms of grants and finance given to participants so they can stand on their own establish what they have been trained on.