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THE Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC) will from next month engage youths in poultry and potato production training programmes as a means of creating employment.
ZYC acting economic development manager Sungano Chisina said the council would work in partnership with organisations such as Irvines, Fivet and Total Farming Solutions to equip young people with technical and business management skills.
“The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Francis Nhema has been calling for youths to be equipped with technical and business management skills.
We are implementing his idea through engaging technical partners like Irvines, Fivet, and Livestock Production Department in imparting chicken rearing skills, as well as Thermal Agriculture and Total Farming Solutions in potato production,” he said.
He said the initiative was a step towards achieving the Zim Asset objective of achieving food security and nutrition for the country.
Chisina said the recent ban on agricultural imports was a welcome development that would enable local companies and small businesses to flourish.
Most of the imports were genetically modified which are harmful to health, so the use of our local products will ensure a healthy nation.
“We believe that by imparting such knowledge to young entrepreneurs we will develop youths who will become leading businesspersons in their communities thereby contributing to the economy through production of potatoes and chickens which many companies are choosing to import due to high cost of production,” he said.
Chisina said they were targeting to train about a 100 youths in every province per month beginning next month.
“We are planning to raise about $5,000 to meet training needs for 100 young entrepreneurs per month per centre. However due to the financial challenges facing the economy we then expect the participants to contribute something towards the training costs,” he said.
Online Reporter