Nigeria Farmers Group and Cooperative Society (NFG-CS), says it has so far empowered 100 youths, created jobs and increased economic activities in Gaate, a rural community in Nasarawa State in 2017.

The National Coordinator of NFG-CS, Mr Redson Tedheke, stated this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the group’s farm in Gaate, in Kokona Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, NFG-CS is a rural community-based farming initiative by Nigerians across the country and beyond, adding that its mission was to ‘farm to feed Nigeria’ and also create jobs in the process.

“This 300 hectares maize farm has brought about the employment of over 100 indigenes of this community, particularly the youth and women. Apart from technical inputs by the professionals on this farm, every other activity, including planting, application of fertiliser, herbicides and pesticides are done by the local people. Some youths have been trained and they resume work here daily with the farm management while others are in charge of the security of the farm. The cooperative pays workers an average daily wage of N1, 500 and that has been very helpful to rural dwellers,’’ he said.

Tedheke said that since the group established the farm in the community early this year, petty trading within and outside the community had been boosted tremendously.

He explained that supplies of many miscellaneous items and consumables in the farm were by local traders, which had enhanced their trading capacity in line with the group’s objective.