Miss Agriculture Nigeria, Eucharia Odida, has said that if 60 per cent of youths in the country venture into agriculture, the unemployment challenge in the country would be reduced drastically.

Ms Odida, who spoke in an interview on Sunday in Calabar, said that most youths were not aware of the abundant opportunities in the agricultural sector.

She said the agricultural value chain had a lot to offer the youths, adding that youths should be courageous enough to develop the interest to go into agriculture.

Ms Odida said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was giving out grants/loans to farmers and advised the youths to take advantage of such opportunities to be empowered.

“If 60 per cent of the youths in Nigeria take up the challenge to invest in agriculture and become agropreneurs, we will have a stable economy and it will reduce the unemployment crisis in the country.

“The agricultural value chain has direct and indirect job opportunities. The key to a nation’s sustainability in economy and livelihood is agriculture.

“I want to plead with youths in Nigeria to see agriculture as a means of livelihood and revenue generation.

“I also want to call on governments across all levels to prioritise their interest in agricultural sustainability and growth so that many youths can venture into it,“ she said. 

(NAN)