(Ecofin Agency) - As part of the agricultural programme for 2017, the Presidential Amnesty Programme Office has announced plans to create 10, 000 farms with an estimated annual total revenue generation capacity of N58 billion (almost $185million).

According to Paul Boroh (photo, left), the Coordinator of the programme and Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta affairs, if 10, 000 ex-agitators are successfully trained to be farm owners, they can hire 40, 000 farm workers and a logistics Processing Value Chain of 30, 000 Jobs across the Niger Delta.

“The impact of this initiative on the economy is that if each of the 10,000 ex-agitators are gainfully trained, they may generate N240 million. While the 40,000 farm workers will in return also generate N600, 000 each which is N24 billion, while Logistics/Processing will yield N360, 000 for 30,000 workers yearly. You can see that the agricultural sector provides more employment opportunities to the labour force which can reduce the high rate of unemployment in developing countries caused by the fast growing population,’’ he said.

Boroh added that this initiative by the Presidential Amnesty Office was aimed at ensuring that the Niger Deltans make a living for themselves instead of begging for it.

“Nigeria is blessed with arable land that tolerates cultivation for all seasons. The Niger Deltan people are committed to exploring the agricultural potential of this nation to its maximum advantage. Today, processing, marketing and distribution of crops and livestock products are all acknowledged as part of agriculture,’’ Boroh told Vanguard news.

The Special Adviser further added that the Buhari-led administration is committed to setting a concrete economic foundation for the future through mechanized farming and so far, 3,010 beneficiaries had been trained and empowered under the initiative.

Anita Fatunji