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The Edo State government is planning to engage
youths in rubber plantation as part of its effort to boost rubber production, NaijaAgroNet reports.
The Edo State Commissioner of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, Mr Abdul Oroh disclosed this in Benin and said that
investors had indicated interest to invest between N1 billion to N1.5 billion
in replanting at the Urhonigbe Rubber Plantation.
NaijaAgroNet learnt from Oroh
that the state has to develop new skills to train some people to be able to
develop the skill in rubber production because almost 99 per cent of all those
tapping rubber in Urhonigbe rubber estate are from Delta State and other states
such as Cross River.
It also noted that the plan is to produce extension
personnel that will be engaged in the cultivations of about 15,000 new hectares
annually for the next 10 years, promote research being done at Rubber Research
Institute at Iyanomoh, and to support nurseries production of modern seedlings
of high yielding clones.
Oroh explained that it will provide
employment, industrial raw materials, improve government’s revenue and the
nation’s trade balance and also encourage introduction of high yielding clones
that are not locally available at the moment.
*With additional report from BusinessDay
pix Edo State Gov.Adams Oshiomhole
