The Oyo State Government has begun training 140 youths in the operation of tractors to enhance mechanised farming in the state.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye, stated this on Monday at the opening of a four-day training of some of the youths in Ibadan/Ibarapa zone, Ido LGA Secretariat, Ido.
Olaleye, in his address, said the programme embodied the state government’s strategic vision for comprehensive youth empowerment and mechanised farming.
According to him, the young participants will acquire the critical skills necessary to replace the ageing workforce of tractor operators.
This, the commissioner said, would ensure seamless continuity in tillage operations through the intensive training programme.
‘This initiative will also directly strengthen our ambitious tractorisation programme, and significantly increase agricultural productivity throughout Oyo state.
‘Through this carefully designed training, we are creating sustainable pathways to meaningful employment. Economic independence, and significantly reducing youth unemployment in both our rural and urban communities’, Olaleye said.
He also said that the programme’s strategic importance ‘encompasses much more than individual skill development.
‘By systematically addressing the gap in skilled tractor operators, we are laying the foundation for sustainable mechanised farming practices and guaranteeing food security for our people’.
Olaleye further said that the comprehensive objectives of the training programme were strategically aligned with the state’s development priorities.
He said the training would not only introduce participants to the essential principles and practices of mechanised farming operations but also equip participants with practical expertise in safe, efficient, and productive tractor driving techniques.
The commissioner added that comprehensive safety kits, such as overalls/jump suits, hand gloves, safety boots, and helmets, have also been provided for the participants, in ensuring that they receive training under the highest safety standards.
He said that outstanding participants in the 4-day training would have opportunities to engage in apprenticeship with members of the Tractor Owners Association and established tractor hiring companies.
The commissioner also encouraged the participants to approach the training with the utmost seriousness, dedication, and professional commitment it deserves.
He said that the knowledge, skills, and expertise acquired during the training would unlock doors to personal growth and economic prosperity.
‘This training would also prepare them to contribute significantly to the continued development and prosperity of the state’, the commissioner said.
Olaleye said that the training would hold simultaneously in two other zones in Oke-Ogun and Oyo-Ogbomoso.
Three of the participants, Hammed Oladapo, Idowu Babatunde and Muyiwa Ibikule, applauded the state government for giving them the opportunity.
Oladapo said that the programme would enable him to secure employment, noting that tractor drivers are few in the state.
Babatunde said that learning how to drive a tractor had been his desire for a long time, and the programme would allow him to achieve it.
Another participant, Ibikunle, said acquiring knowledge in tractor driving would enhance his plan to venture into mechanised farming.
In parallel, the Government disclosed last month that 3,000 hectares of land at the Ijaiye Farm Settlement have been earmarked for the development of a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone and a Rungis-styled food wholesale market.
According to the Director-General of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, Dr Debo Akande, the initiative is expected to transform agriculture and provide opportunities for farmers to get greater value for their farming investments.
