The founder of Star Farmers Hub, Michael Shenge, says young agripreneurs, innovators, and changemakers are the hope for profitable agricultural value chains in Benue.

Mr Shenge, who stated this on Friday in Makurdi at the opening of the Agro Start-ups Conference, said that the future of agriculture would not be built by governments alone, but by creative start-ups, partnerships, and bold ideas.

The conference convener described agripreneurs, innovators, and all the partners as the missing link between farm and market, between policy and practice, and between potential and prosperity.

“At Star Farmers Hub, we have seen what collaboration can do. When young people come together to solve problems in the agricultural value chain, transformation begins,” Mr Shenge. “The honey producer meets the package designer. The cassava processor meets the logistics start-up. The farmer meets the investor. And that is the kind of connection we want this conference to spark.”

He added, “Through this platform, we want to create pathways for certification, access to finance, government engagement, and value addition because the future of our food system depends on how we nurture today’s agro start-ups.

“To the government, we are not here to complain; we are here to collaborate. We are building solutions on the ground; we simply need support, structure, and synergy. To every young agripreneur here today, remember this: you don’t need to have it all to start; just start with what you have, where you are, and grow from there.”

Benue Agricultural Revolution Programme secretariat lead, Samuel Agwa, in his remarks, said there was an urgent need to innovate and positively affect the food system, with every sense of common good and environmental responsibility.

Mr Agwa stated that, from production to consumption, new and thriving businesses and innovations must fill the gaps to enhance the optimal use of resources, from farming tools to technologies that address every aspect or chain of the food system.

He lauded Star Farmers Hub for putting together the conference, which he described as impactful and transformative.

Teryima Iorlamen of Joseph Sarwuan Tarkaa University, Makurdi, facilitated the training.

Mr Iorlamen guided the stakeholders in developing a communique, in which they resolved to promote synergy among stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.

(NAN)