NYSC strengthens partnership with research institute

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says the scheme is strengthening existing partnership with the National Cereals Research Institute to train more corps members in modern farming.

Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, NYSC’s Director Press and Public Relations, said in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Adeyemi said that the partnership was to boost agricultural production and give fillip to the scheme’s enhanced revenue drive.

According to her, the corps members are keying into Federal Government’s agenda on the diversification of the economy through agricultural practices.

She commended the institute for its numerous support toward mentoring corps members and NYSC agric officers, especially in rice farming.

She solicited for a well articulated and robust partnership that would ensure more bumper harvest for the scheme.

“To realise this noble objective and make NYSC a less burden on government’s lean resources there is need for a Memorandum of Understanding and appointment of desk officers between the two agencies to oversee the partnership.

“We don’t want NYSC to be seen as a burden to the federal government. We want to generate fund from our farms,” she noted.

Adeyemi said that corps members would be incorporated in the customised training for good agricultural practices run by the institute.

She added that corps members would also be trained on rice value chain from production to utilisation as well as in soya beans, sugarcane and Benin seed.