(FP)

Youth across the island are being assured that agriculture has great potential as a money earner.          

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, held a “Get Hired Employability Workshop” focused on agriculture recently at the Hilton Barbados Resort, Needham’s Point, St Michael.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, who addressed the participants told them: “Money is involved in the process as it relates to agriculture. As long as you have the interest and you decide that this is the area that you’re going to do, there’s money to be made in it.”

Noting that too many young people did not know where to go to be directed to resources that could assist their journey, he said: “I have 32 youth officers in the Ministry that are there to serve you. And if you’re short of information, you should get to know your youth officer from the Ministry of Youth, because they are the ones that can put you in contact with the necessary resources that you need in order to facilitate whatever it is that your journey dictates.”

The Youth Minister urged participants to find ways to strengthen their relationships with officers within the Ministry, their colleagues and any agency that would provide guidance and resources.

He stressed such partnerships would redound to their benefit and assured them that his ministry was “working assiduously” to ensure new partners were added to the programme to ensure their success.

Agro farmer Kariah Scantlebury, herself a youth farmer, gave a presentation outlining the need for younger people to be involved in the business of agriculture.

Ms. Scantlebury noted that young people had to play their part in helping the sector and said: “There are a lot of ageing person so when they have departed and we don’t take up the mantle there is no one to replace them.”

She also noted that agriculture wasn’t a pretty job and indeed lots of work and sacrifice but it wasn’t all hard work. “They are a lot of different areas that young people can work together to play our part. You can work in an office as a marketing assistant or in administration, plant pathology and entomology.

“We as young people need to help reduce the food import bill and realise that agriculture is the food basket of our country. All these things come about from people going out and working the land.” 

The programme, which formed part of Youth Week, launched last week at the Oistins, Bay Garden, Christ Church. It provided young persons with opportunities to access information on agriculture, among other things.

fabian.belgrave@barbados.gov.bb

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