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Nigerian youths have been encouraged to embrace mechanised agriculture to safeguard future of the nation from remaining as a mono-economy, which mainly depend on oil.
Executive Director, National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, NCAM, Engineer Muideen Kasali gave the advice while declaring open a training of selected fabricators on use, maintenance and fabrication of small and medium scale agricultural machines, in kwara state.
Engineer Kasali who described mechanized agriculture as a road map towards national development, especially, in period of economic recession, said involvement of youths in agricultural mechanization, would boost food production and enhance economic development of the country.
According to the Executive Director, participants at the training, numbering forty were drawn from across seven states of the federation namely Enugu, Kano, Anambra, Jigawa, Sokoto and Niger states.
Engineer Kasali said the programme was in line with the efforts of the federal government to diversify the economy, with priority on fabrication of machines for agricultural use in the country.
He explained that the training which was organised by the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, NCAM, in collaboration with International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics ICRISAT, under the Federal Government Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support program would last for a week.
Representative of ICRISAT, Mal Yausa Garba Ilo, said the programme was designed to enhance ability of the participants in fabrication of agricultural machineries, who would in turn impact the skill to other fabricators within their communities.
Earlier, Director Engineering Department NCAM, Dr. Isaac Ozumba assured that the participant would be better fabricators after completion of the intensive training session.
