Phillips Nto, Director of Agribusiness Incubation Centre (ABIC), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, has said that Nigeria currently loses N14trillion annually to post-harvest losses due to its inability to harness surplus harvest across the Country.
Nto stated this when the Executive of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Abia State Chapter led by Smith Silvernus, its Chairman paid him a working visit.
The Director charged Nigerian youths to embrace agriculture as a legitimate means of becoming potential billionaires.
He also enjoined them to get involved in politics at the Local Government levels so as to influence decisions on agriculture instead of allowing the older generation decides their future.
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Nto said that youths in agriculture could immediately exploit the opportunities available in the agricultural value chain.
“The next crop of millionaires and billionaires in Nigeria would be youth entrepreneurs who tap in from the opportunities available in the value chain. More than N14trillion is lost annually from post harvest mismanagement of agricultural produce”, he emphasised.
According to him, resourceful entrepreneurs could look at ways of setting up businesses that would preserve surplus harvest or turn them into varieties of consumables. They could also set up factories and transportation businesses.
The Director noted that agribusiness also offers a lot of opportunities for youths to invest in and make legitimate living instead of engaging in criminal activities.
Nto explained that the Federal Government set up Agribusiness Incubation Centre in some selected Universities to offer practical knowledge to such youths and commended Maduebibisi OfIwe, Professor and MOUAU Vice Chancellor for providing them the ambience to operate maximally.
Nto also commended the Federal Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the ongoing agro-processing zone projects across the Country.
