LAGOS – The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Ogun Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) farm is ready to churn out and sell its products to the market.
Dr. Belinda Faniyi, the State Coordinator and the brain behind the farm at the Sagamu Orientation Camp, during a routine inspection of the farm, revealed that the over one thousand catfish fingerlings that were brought into the fish pond some few months ago are now very big and ready for the market.
Faniyi added that a fish dryer has been acquired to teach the Corps Members on drying processes and packaging for the larger market.
“The farm is not just for the sole purpose of farming but also to teach the Corps Members how to process cassava into garri, extract ethanol from it and package this farm produce for sale,” she said.
Faniyi said that apart from the catfish, the farm has started breeding over one thousand tilapia fish, adding that the farm also boasts of scent leaf (Efirin) which are also ready for the market, but just like the catfish, the corps members have to be thought how to harvest, dry and package them before selling to pharmaceutical companies to produce spices and drugs.
According to the State Coordinator, other crops that are doing well in the farm include; plantain, pepper pumpkin leaf (Ugwu).
The Skills Acquisition farm has become training and demonstration ground for corps members who are into fish farming, crops production, processing, packaging and branding of farm products.
She added, “The purpose is to encourage our corps members to become self-reliant and employers of labour through the acquisition of these skills.”