Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has urged youths to embrace agriculture for empowerment, income generation, job creation and food security.

Mr Diri gave the advice on Friday in Yenagoa during the state’s celebration of World Food Day, with the theme “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.”

Represented by his Deputy, Peter Akpe, the governor said farming should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a punishment.

He stated, “Farming is a blessing and not a punishment.”

Mr Diri described the theme as apt, noting that innovation and science could make agriculture attractive to young people seeking meaningful careers.

He urged youths to embrace farming rather than remain idle while seeking white-collar jobs.

The governor also encouraged civil servants and families to practise backyard farming, urging financial institutions to provide accessible credit to smallholder farmers.

He said agriculture could support subsistence living and serve as a viable business capable of generating employment and wealth.

Mr Diri said Bayelsa State was blessed with abundant water resources and fertile land, adding that his administration had secured strategic partnerships to strengthen food security.

He disclosed that the state had begun its maiden dry-season farming programme at Otuasega Farm in the Ogbia Local Government Area.

According to him, the government is partnering with the Central Bank of Nigeria to install rice mills at Niger Delta University and Federal University Otuoke.

He said the initiative would help move Made-in-Bayelsa rice from farms to markets.

Mr Diri added that seedlings and other agricultural inputs had been distributed to thousands of farmers across the state’s eight local government areas.

He said the government had also partnered with CSS Integrated Farms to train youths in modern farming techniques.

The governor urged farmers to adopt innovations suited to Bayelsa’s terrain, including flood-tolerant seed varieties and modern aquaculture to complement traditional fishing.

He also encouraged farmers to explore soilless farming and partnerships, while investing in processing, storage and cold-chain facilities to minimise food wastage.

Mr Diri commended the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the LIFE-ND programme for supporting agribusiness development among young people.

He also praised the Peremabiri Farmers Cluster for its organised and innovative approach to farming.

On farmers’ protection, the governor cautioned herders against attacking farmers, stressing that Bayelsa’s law criminalising open grazing remained in force.

He commended the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources for organising the event and urged the ministry to promote patronage of state-produced rice during the yuletide.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Beke Sese, said more than 17,300 farmers received direct support through various agricultural programmes since 2020.

He said the beneficiaries were supported through the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, Diri BOOST and the Prosperity Farmers Grant Scheme.

Mr Sese added that 2,106 farmers across the eight local government areas received grants in 2026 to expand cultivation and strengthen agricultural productivity.

He said the state’s rice milling plant, with a capacity of 410 tonnes daily, was fully operational and processing paddy into polished Made-in-Bayelsa rice.

He noted, “We are cultivating 106 hectares of rice and buying paddy from the communities we supply, so that while you plant, you know a buyer is waiting.”

Mr Sese said the rice plant was undergoing laboratory analysis for food and nutritional certification ahead of its market launch.

“Governor Diri has charged us to produce 300,000 kilogrammes of Made-in-Bayelsa rice by the end of 2026, so that Bayelsa can feed Bayelsa,” he said.

He said the state was working towards the target to strengthen food sufficiency and economic prosperity.

In his remarks, the National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Farouk Rabiu-Mudi, commended Diri’s achievements in agriculture.

Mr Rabiu-Mudi presented the governor with AFAN’s Award of Excellence as the Best Governor in Agricultural Connectivity and Farmers’ Support in the country.

He said the award, launched in August 2026, was being presented to 12 state governors, with two selected from each geopolitical zone.

He explained that the association conducted research and assessed state governments’ agricultural programmes before selecting the recipients.

Mr Rabiu-Mudi urged communities and farmers’ associations that had yet to register with AFAN to do so and become members.

 (NAN)