14/03/2016
PRESS RELEASE.
The Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has reaffirmed that the Wealth Creation Agency(WECA) established by his administration is to revolutionize the agriculture profession and make it more attractive to the youth with a view to reducing unemployment in the State.
Dr. Mimiko, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture Pastor Olusegun Ayerin stated this today while declaring open a one week induction training of 100 newly engaged Profarmers /Agropreneurs, said this is another milestone in his administration's effort geared towards generating employment and wealth creation for the people.
According a to him, poverty has drastically been reduced through the empowerment programme of the Agency which has made many of the youths self reliant, self employed and employers of Labour.
"This administration is bequeathing to the State a legacy of zero tolerance for poverty whereby unemployed youths are mopped up from our streets through empowerment programmes so as to make them self reliant, self employed and ultimately employers of labour".
He noted that the agricultural sector in the state is being given new impetus through the Agency and its Agro Business Cities located in the three Senatorial District of the State, saying that the partnership of the State with renowned International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other organizations had exposed the youth to the best practices in agriculture and agric business, thereby creating a new generation of agric entrepreneurs that can compete anywhere in the world.
Speaking on the value addition initiative of his administration, the Governor said the Agency had facilitated the establishment of a number of agro allied industries for processing, among which are 1000 capacity daily Chicken Processing Plant with supporting facilities, which now process chicken at commercial scale to big markets within and outside the State.
He further noted that the cassava processing factory under construction at Ore ABC had become another value addition initiative of his administration, adding that the Cocoa revolution project is on-going while the newly constructed mechanised abattoir will soon be commissioned.
He commended the management and staff of the Agency, International agro business partners and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector for supporting his administration's drive at eradicating poverty, generating employment and wealth creation for the teeming youths in the State.
In her speech, the Chairman of Wealth Creation Agency, Mrs Bolanle Olafunmiloye lauded the vision of Governor Mimiko for establishing the Agency at the begining of his administration to reactivate the economy development of the state with the mandate to develop a new crop of young professional farmers and entrepreneurs that will use agriculture as a tool for wealth creation.
Mrs Olafunmiloye, who noted that the 100 newly engaged young graduates constitute the 4th set of Profarmers / Agropreneurs to be trained, said 1000 youths were engaged in 2011, 280 graduates in 2014 while 120 were engaged in 1015, adding that the newly engaged youths are to be trained to use agriculture as transformational tool to enhance food production, produce raw materials for industries and create wealth in the state.
She explained that trained youths from the four Agro Business Cities across the State have started producing many wealth creating and quality agricultural products among which are Adiye (Chicken) WECA, from poultry section, Eja (Fish) WECA from aquaculture section, Agbado (Maize) WECA and Ege (cassava) WECA from arable crop section while Gari WECA and Eyin ( egg) WECA will soon be part of products of the Agency.
Speaking at the occasion, the stakeholders in the agricultural sector both within and outside the State commended initiative of Mimiko administration for making agriculture a means of employment generation, wealth creation and alternative source of revenue for the state at this time of dwindling oil revenue.
Representative of organizations that attended the ceremony include International Institute of Tropical Agriculture ( IITA), FADAMA, Agricultural Development Program (ADP) State Ministry of Agriculture among others.
