2,820 Youths Benefit Ffrom Y-CAD In Ekiti State

2,820 youths benefited from the Youth Commercial Agriculture Development Programme (YCAD) in 2012 in Ekiti State.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Oludare Abegunde who disclosed this while speaking in Ado-Ekiti, said the target of the state government was to empower 20,000 youths by 2014.

Mr. Abegunde restated government’s resolve to redouble its efforts at achieving the target this year, stressing that agriculture would not only generate employment but also boost the Internally Generated Revenue of the state by over 50%.

While noting that YCAD was introduced to reduce youth’s unemployment and wipe out hunger, he stated that the programme would assist in turning Ekiti State to the food basket of the nation and ensure food security in the county at large.
The Permanent Secretary promised that the state government would revitalize all abandoned Agric facilities to ensure effective use, adding that over 1,130 Hectares of lands were cultivated for cassava last year while 150 hectares of water melon and tomatoes were produced during the same period.
Abegunde added that oil palm took about 18 hectares of land while cocoa occupied 22 hectares.
The Permanent Secretary promised that more land would be cultivated this year for various cash crops to enable the state government empower more youths.

Last modified: January 30, 2013