Via Pleasure Akinsanya
Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun on Friday allotted farm inputs, apparatus and virtual units to toughen 10,000 rice and cassava farmers within the state.
The distribution was once held all through the 2026 International Meals Day birthday celebration held in Abeokuta, with the theme: “Innovate Lately, Nourish The next day”.
The initiative was once applied in collaboration with the Global Fund for Agricultural Building (IFAD) throughout the Ministry of Agriculture and Meals Safety underneath the Particular Agro-Business Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme.
Abiodun mentioned the initiative was once aimed toward expanding agricultural productiveness, decreasing manufacturing prices and strengthening meals safety.
He disclosed that pieces to be allotted come with subsidised fertilisers, herbicides, progressed planting fabrics, 10 tractors, different agricultural apparatus, and 1,200 android telephones.
“Beneath the programme, 2,000 rice farmers and eight,000 cassava farmers will obtain two baggage of fertiliser and one bag of urea every.
“The cassava farmers may even obtain 25 bundles of cassava stems every, whilst rice farmers gets 3 litres of herbicides and cassava farmers, 10 litres every.
“Farmers may also be given 1,200 android telephones, that are already supplied with packages offering climate knowledge, marketplace costs and steering on progressed farming practices,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the units would permit farmers to get admission to well timed knowledge, make knowledgeable manufacturing selections and make stronger their hyperlinks to agricultural markets.
Abiodun mentioned that the ten tractors, 20 rice planters, and transplanters, 8 threshers, and farm tricycle trailers and different apparatus would toughen farm settlements and farmers’ associations around the state
He added that it might advertise mechanised farming to scale back the weight of handbook labour.
Consistent with the governor, his management is dedicated to remodeling agriculture right into a winning, technology-driven sector able to developing jobs, attracting funding and contributing to nationwide meals safety.
“We established the Ogun State Agricultural Land Control Company (OSALMA) to facilitate get admission to to land and advertise a accountable and inclusive framework for land-intensive agricultural funding,” he mentioned.
He disclosed that his management had finished 28 agricultural initiatives within the closing two years throughout crop manufacturing, aquaculture and poultry.
He mentioned the initiatives integrated sun dryers, warehouses, cassava processing centres and a poultry processing plant at Ajegunle Farm Agreement in Odeda Native Govt Space of the state.
Consistent with him, the poultry facility can procedure 5,000 birds day by day, identical to about 1.3 million birds once a year.
Abiodun mentioned the state had additionally procured 39 tractors, 4 self-propelled harvesters and different agricultural apparatus to make stronger mechanisation.
On formative years empowerment, he mentioned greater than 200 younger other folks had won coaching in soilless farming thru a partnership with Soilless Farm Lab.
He added that start-up toughen had additionally been equipped to lend a hand the beneficiaries determine their very own agricultural companies.
“Our objective is to procedure extra in the community, retain larger price and create extra jobs. We search partnerships that create jobs, switch wisdom, empower farmers and broaden native capability,” he mentioned.
Abiodun instructed traders to discover alternatives in business farming, agro-processing, cattle manufacturing, aquaculture, irrigation, mechanisation, garage and cold-chain amenities.
He confident traders of the state executive’s readiness to toughen accountable agricultural investments.
The governor counseled President Bola Tinubu for his efforts to fortify native fertiliser manufacturing and make stronger farmers’ get admission to to agricultural inputs.
He additionally said the contributions of the spouse of the President, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, to projects supporting girls farmers.
Previous, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Meals Safety, Mr Bolu Owotomo, mentioned the International Meals Day highlighted the significance of get admission to to nutritious and reasonably priced meals to human dignity and sustainable construction.
Owotomo mentioned innovation was once crucial to construction a resilient meals device and known as for greater funding in girls and younger other folks thru get admission to to land, finance, coaching and know-how.
He disclosed that greater than 12,000 farmers had benefited from coaching and agricultural inputs underneath Ogun State Financial Transformation Venture (OGSTEP).
The commissioner mentioned the newest interventions inquisitive about virtual empowerment, mechanisation and subsidised farm inputs for two,000 rice farmers and eight,000 cassava farmers.
“Beneficiaries will give a contribution 30 in line with cent of the price of the inputs, relying at the class, whilst the federal government will quilt the rest 70 in line with cent thru its partnership with IFAD,” he mentioned
In his keynote cope with, Prof. Kolawole Adebayo, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Federal College of Agriculture, Abeokuta, mentioned Ogun was once strategically situated to give a contribution to Nigeria’s meals safety as a result of its agricultural doable and proximity to primary shopper markets.
Adebayo mentioned the state’s 1.2 million hectares of arable land presented important alternatives for agro-industrial funding.
He known as for an built-in transportation community linking rail, highway, water and air shipping to facilitate the motion of agricultural produce, maintain high quality and scale back post-harvest losses.
He counseled the state executive for creating agro-industrial processing zones, bettering land-clearing products and services for smallholder farmers and increasing get admission to to agricultural inputs.
Adebayo additionally recognized the Farmer Knowledge Control Machine and the established order of the Nigerian Meals Financial institution in Ogun as projects able to strengthening meals safety.
Dr Kabiru Yusuf, the Nationwide Programme Coordinator of the Particular Agro-Business Processing Zones Programme, counseled the governor for supporting the rural sector.
Yusuf, represented by way of the Nationwide Agriculture Professional, Dr Louis Enaberue, instructed beneficiaries to make efficient use of the apparatus and farm inputs to make stronger manufacturing.
In his goodwill message, the South-West Coordinator of the Commodity Farmers Affiliation of Nigeria, Mr Segun Dasaolu, mentioned the interventions would fortify agricultural construction and toughen farmers around the area.
Talking on behalf of farm settlers within the state, Mr Rotimi Sogunle thanked the governor for supporting farming communities and described OGSTEP as an important intervention within the state’s agricultural sector.
NAN studies that spotlight of the birthday celebration was once the symbolic presentation of tractors, agricultural apparatus, android telephones, fertilisers, herbicides and different farm inputs to beneficiaries. (NAN)
Edited by way of Yetunde Fatungase
