The Vice-Chancellor of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU) Katsina, Prof. Idris Isa has said that the institution had distributed 4.2 million tree seedlings to farmers in the state in the last three years.

Speaking during the 3rd convocation ceremony of the University on Saturday, he said that as part of the university’s efforts to control desert encroachment in the state, the tree seedlings were produced through 344 private nurseries in the state.

According to him, 8,460 farmers were also trained on nursery practices and agro-forestry management by the university, a project under the European Union (EU) Grant Project coordinated by the Energy Centre on Sustainable Development of Farm Agro-forestry and Fuel Wood Conservation System.

Isa added that the university had trained 1,000 women and youths on processing of tree fruits.

The vice-chancellor said that the University’s centre for renewable energy was one of the leading centres in the area of competency certification of solar energy in the country.

“We are also leading in solar photo voltaic installation supervision under the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP),’’ Isa said disclosing that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was constructing an Agribusiness Incubation Centre in the university with the provision of tomato processing lines for paste and juice, and training facilities.

1,397 graduating students were presented with degrees, out of which, 107 were post-graduates.

Nine students graduated with First Class degrees; 300, Second Class Upper; 639 had Second Class Lower; 316 Third Class and 26 had pass degrees.

There were also two PhDs and 105 Masters Degrees students.