The Federal Government has been urged to sufficient and decent employment the major target for revamping the agricultural sector.

The Deputy Director, Department of General Administration, Agricultural and Rural Management Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State, said over the next five years, over 500,000 new young graduates would enter the labour market, which mean new jobs have to be created.

According to him, not only is the creation of new jobs important, the government should determine to make the agriculture sector attractive to encourage more investors to come in so they can work to support the development of jobs-focused agribusiness ventures.

While employment prospect in other sector are shrinking because of massive use of technology, Adeyemo said there were possibilities of increasing the potential of the various value chains by supporting activities in production, processing, storage and marketing of commodities.

The majority of new jobs, which would be created, would increase employment opportunities for young people between 20 and 35.

He called for improved funding to help state governments to increase training of youths on improved techniques for crops and livestock production, processing and marketing and for new and existing entrepreneurs to modernise their businesses.

He stressed the need to support cooperatives and chambers of commerce and industry to promote agriculture and improve the capacities of farmers and for more focus on introducing university students to agric businesses through mentorship schemes and integration of entrepreneurship into college curriculum.

He added that the agric sector has a lot to offer young entrepreneurs and that the sector remains a major area of job creation, outside oil and telecoms, adding that what farmers and producers need is an healthy business environment with the right incentives for innovation and change and then the nation can be assured of food security.