The Kaduna State Government has begun the cultivation of 10,000 hectares of land to create job opportunities for 10,000 youths. The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Industrialisation and Micro-Credit Management Board, Alhaji Sabi’u Sani-Isma’ila, disclosed this on Thursday.
He said that the programme would strengthen national food security, facilitate import
substitution and enhance job creation and wealth creation.
“The thinking of the new administration is to reduce rural poverty, curb unemployment by creating job opportunities for the youth and at the same time support in the national food security.
“This can be achieved through the use of our God given resources of fertile land, water resources and youthful population. That is why we thought it wise to facilitate commercial production of commodities starting with wheat under the Anchor-Brower-Programme,” he said.
Sani-Isma’ila said the programme was targeting 10,000 hectares and so far had covered more than 2,500 acres while work was ongoing.
“We are targeting 10,000 youths with at least one hectare per individual. Remember, wheat is not a crop that you grow at your own convenience. It is a crop that you must look at the climate, weather changes and then grow it within a given period,” he said.
He said that by the end of first week of January, wheat planting would stop while the programme would possibly adopt other crops like rice, as proposed.