The Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has reiterated his administration’s continued commitment to provide all necessary infrastructure and resources to enhance agricultural production and ensure food security for the people of the state.
He made the commitment recently while speaking at a tractor unveiling and farm input distribution ceremony in Ede, Osun state.
He said that the government is distributing 6,000 herbicides, 80,000 cashew seedlings, 8,000 cassava cuttings, 8,000 various vegetable seeds and 500 bags of Lime to the farmers, women associations, people living with disabilities and government schools with large farmlands.
In addition, he said his administration is unveiling 31 newly purchased tractors with full implements for the use of farmers in the State which is the first phase of this project.
According to him, “these tractors will be released to farmers’ cooperative societies and associations’ after all necessary administrative procedures have been concluded.
“This is also in line with the promise made to our resourceful youthful population during the last End Bad Governance protest. We hope to provide all necessary infrastructure and resources to enhance agricultural production and ensure food security for our people.
“No leader with a conscience would be happy that his people are struggling to make ends meet and feed their families. We have set our targets at this critical sector and we are ready to make the required investments in this regard.”
He pointed out that the state is committing N8 billion for the acquisition of tractors and farm clearing equipment within the context of due process and another N2 billion worth of farm input support.
Adeleke said that he is optimistic that the farm inputs will serve as a humble beginning for the agro-industrial development of the State in line with the 5-Point Action Plan of his administration.
Also, Tola Faseru, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security in the state, said that the rate of food insecurity in the country is worrisome and that it can be traced to neglect in food production, youths’ lackadaisical attitudes to farming, poverty, environmental degradation, continued conflict, and climate change.
He said Osun State is purely an agrarian society, that it is abundantly endowed with fertile land, supportive weather, and human resources to leverage agriculture for attaining food security.
The sector, according to him, provides food for the citizens, raw materials for the Agro-allied industries and employment for the majority of the economically active population who are engaged (directly or indirectly) in the practices of Agribusiness, especially in the rural areas.
Faseru, pointed out that the current administration has purchased tractors with implements to be distributed on Public Private Partnership among Farmers’ Associations, Youths, Women and People Living with Disabilities (PWD) and others for their farm operations.
He explained that the distribution would go a long way in removing drudgery associated with the production of food crops and youths’ notions that agribusiness is tedious and unprofitable.
“More new tractors and their implements are expected to arrive in due course, we shall not rest on our oars until we have sufficient pre and post-planting equipment for food production until we are able to feed the people and make Osun the Food Silo of the Nation.
Similarly, he said that the support of the Federal Government in the release of various brands of fertilizer (NPK & Urea) is extremely appreciated and commendable while the State Government has also complemented the organic fertilizers that will be distributed to its teeming farmers.
He said that the state will improve upon its collaboration with the Federal Government on the National Agricultural Land Clearing Programme and input supply as well as other programmes for the purpose of attaining food security and employment generation in the State.
Speaking further he said that a cheque of N8, 600,000 would be handed over to each poultry farmer participating in the Osun Broiler Outgrower Production Scheme (OBOPS), that each of them is sponsored to raise 2,000 day-old broiler birds to table size within six weeks and the cycle will be repeated continuously and the off-taker will buy back from each farmer.
He assured that the State will continue to support farmers’ groups who are into food processing by empowering them with Agricultural assets like Maize Sheller, Palm Kernel Cracker, Smoking kiln, Poultry Cages, Pens among others to encourage value addition
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