President Muhammadu Buhari has come out to beg agencies involved in agriculture to include youth in driving modern methods of farming.

He revealed this recently in Abuja when he inaugurated the National Young Farmers Scheme designed by the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA).

According to him, agriculture is still the backbone of the Nigerian economy, as it is the largest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), so the youths must be more active in the sector.

He added that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and state governments should give full cooperation to NALDA in its activities.

His words, “We will do more to expand, modernise and revolutionise our agriculture, which is our most important asset.

“I have directed that all NALDA’s abandoned farm estates be retrieved to enable thousands of our young men and women to be engaged in farming.

“This administration will be achieving agricultural mechanization through this scheme and I am confident that Nigeria, under my watch, will achieve food security by producing most of what we eat.

“In good harvest years, we may even export our surpluses and earn foreign exchange.”

“By virtue of my passion and desire for agriculture and also as a farmer myself, I am directly supervising NALDA as an authority under the Presidency.

“I am asking the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and state governments to give full cooperation to NALDA in its activities.

“With the success of Anchor Borrowers programme spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria and new programmes to revive cotton, palm products and cocoa, the next few years will see a vast difference in our agricultural performance.”