No fewer than 145 youths of Delta State origin have been carefully selected by the State Job and Wealth Creation Bureau for the first batch of the Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP).
This was disclosed on Wednesday September 28th 2022, by the Chief Job Creation Officer, Prof. Eric Eboh, at the Orientation and Farm Enterprise Training (OFET) Workshop for 2022 Crop Production YAGEP beneficiaries in Asaba.
He said the 145 YAGEPreneurs in cassava production, are Brown YAGEP who already have agricultural skills and own agricultural enterprises “but are given refresher training in practical and managerial skills plus support packages to grow and sustain their existing enterprises”.
According to him, the present 2022 cycle is the 7th consecutive run of the programme since 2015, disclosing that “1,520 YAGEP beneficiaries have been trained, established and supported in various agricultural enterprises including poultry, crop production, piggery, fish production, agro-processing and agribusiness, from 2015 to 2021”.
He said: “YAGEP is contributing significantly to agricultural outputs and overall growth of the agricultural sector in Delta State. Estimates show that, from 2015-2021, YAGEP beneficiaries have produced/contributed 2,298.46 metric tonnes of poultry, 72,280,767 eggs and 6,682.91 metric tonnes of fish.
“In addition, YAGEP outputs include 2,342.25 metric tonnes of pig, 3,084.40 metric tonnes of cassava roots, 1,572.78 metric tonnes of grains, 862.16 metric tonnes of fruits and plantain and 2,236.02metric tonnes of vegetables namely tomatoes, watermelon and cucumber.
“Recent tracer survey shows that the overall success rate among YAGEP beneficiaries is 69.86%. Moreover, the development of farm enterprise clusters, owned and managed by the youths, is transforming the state’s agricultural landscape and having a demonstration effect on agricultural modernization.
“Currently, there are twenty (20) YAGEP farm enterprise clusters with varying combinations of enterprises including poultry, piggery, fishery, rice and tomato production.
“The cluster model of youth agricultural employment has restored previously idle agricultural resources to economic use and boosted agricultural productivity and wealth generation in the state.
“Overall, YAGEP has elevated the interest of youths in productive and gainful employment along the agricultural value chain.
“Also, it has impacted tremendously on agricultural economy of the state through contribution of agricultural outputs, demonstration of agricultural technologies and spillover effects”, he said.
In his paper, one of the resource persons, Mr. Sam, who spoke on “Best management practices in Cassava Production, marketing and record keeping, said Cassava, is a popular crop among farmers in Delta.
He said: “It is astable food in Delta State, if you want to take it as a business there are things you do to make yield.
“Take it as a sole cropping for the sake of space, the time your Cassava matures matters a lot as a businessman, if you are going to plant, try to calculate the time of harvest.
“Before you plant, try and plough your land very well. Forget about the cost implication if actually you wants to benefit . Ensure that the variety that you are planting is adaptable to your local area”
On narketing and record keeping, he said: “It is only those that have good market plans that can survive in Cassava business.
“It pays better to plant within the expected time of shortage, ensure that you meet the market specifications, go beyond your market zone”.
He disclosed that the objective of farm records, is too manage the farm with profit, to record the yield of crops, to know the strength of the farm, help to get payment information of Labour.
“The cultivation of Cassava holds more potential for successful investment.
“The youths can key into this and make millions of naira from Cassava Production” he stressed.
