A 120 youths from Enugu, Kogi and Nasarawa states have been trained in rice seed production technologies by the International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP).
The young seed entrepreneurs were trained for two months in Niger State.
The IFAD VCDP National Programme Coordinator, Dr Ameh Onoja at the closing ceremony in Badeggi over the weekend said the training was necessary to meet up the demand for quality rice seeds by farmers.
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He said the youths would become producers of certified seeds which would go a long way in improving the yield of rice farmers.
“The farmers’ yield has been very low and we have discovered that it is because of the wrong practices in which the farmers engage in especially while procuring seeds. This is why VCDP thought it necessary to train youths who will be producers of certified seeds within their communities so that the farmers can have access to quality seeds and will increase their harvest.”