The Lagos State Government has declared it will continue to support 60 pupil farmers from the state’s public secondary schools as part of its efforts in boosting food production in the country.

CEOAFRICA news desk gathered the initiative tagged, Agricultural Summer School, is part of the Agricultural Youth Empowerment scheme, AGRIC-YES programme of the government.

The training is said to be the third in the series which always had 10 pupils drawn from each of the six Education Districts in the state to undergo two weeks training in Agriculture entrepreneurship on Aquaculture, Poultry, Vegetable Farming and Tree planting at the Lagos State Agricultural Training Institute, Araga, Epe.

According to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Gbolahan Lawal who spoke on Friday at the closing of the 2013 summer school training, 10 teachers and 180 pupils have been trained and empowered through the summer school, and are expected to set up farms in their schools.

The State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, commented that the aim of the initiative was also to get many pupils in the state interested in agriculture.

Mrs. Oladunjoye also revealed that the initiative is expected also to improve teachers’ technical skills through practical agricultural literacy and awareness.

In addition to the ongoing empowerment, the government of the state is said to have completed plans to reactivate the young farmers’ club in all public schools in the state.