The Federal Government is to engage 30,000 graduates to serve as agriculture extension workers who will provide strategic support to farmers across the country.
It also announced that it had empowered 20 young Nigerian farmers with an initial take off grant of N30m, adding that the fund was provided through the Bank of Agriculture.
Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority, Paul Ikonne, said in Abuja that the graduates would be trained in agriculture extension services including the collection of soil samples and how to conduct soil tests.
He said the approval to engage the graduates was given by President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the extension workers would be deployed across the country.
The NALDA helmsman said his agency would subsidise the amount to be paid by farmers for the service to be rendered by the extension workers, as only N500 would be required for any soil sample collected for testing.
