Reaching out to address tomato scarcity and high prices faced in Nigeria, Horti Nigeria collaborated with the Youth In Agribusiness program of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Oyo State. They conducted a free training session for 100 young individuals on the aspects of tomato cultivation and marketing.
The training, which coincided with the 2024 International Youth Day, took place in Ibadan, the capital city of the state.
Babatunde Ajaja, the Communication Officer for the YAS project at IITA, expressed, “Tomatoes have been a significant concern for farmers due to price fluctuations and recent challenges like blights. Hence, we chose to focus on tomatoes to equip farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate these issues.”
Emphasizing the project’s objective of encouraging youth participation in agriculture, Ajaja highlighted that the support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands has made such initiatives possible.
He mentioned, “The YAS project has successfully trained more than 4,500 youths and provided assistance across various agricultural value chains including horticulture, poultry, aquaculture, and crops like yam, maize, soybean, cassava, and groundnut in less than a year.”
Ajaja reassured the audience that the YAS project, in collaboration with Horti Nigeria, remains committed to empowering young individuals through training, resources, business development, and mentorship opportunities.