Ogun Govt Moves To Boost Fish Farming With Injection Of N50m Into Production

   

       

Ogun State Government has given out a sum of N50 million to Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction (IDIPR), Eriwe in Odogbolu Local Government Area, as part of measures being taken to food security through the development of agriculture and fish sub-sector

          

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo during the presentation of  the cheque to the group in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta under the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) of the Ministry, said the fund would be repaid for 18 months inclusive of a 6-month moratorium at a single interest rate of 9 percent.

         

He stated that IDIPR is a private sector-driven organisation established in 1999, adding that the state government had disbursed a total sum of N110 million to the organisation since 2012 in different batches which the body repaid as and when due.

According to him, “The group is a reputable organisation to alleviate poverty and improve livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable people in the state”.

          

The Commissioner stressed that the State agricultural intervention was not only peculiar to the fish sub-sector but the entire value chain, noting that about 1,000 metric tons of maize were recently released to the poultry sector at a stiff discount to reduce the cost of production.

Owotomo highlighted some of the achievements of the present administration including, reforms of agricultural land allocation to investors to enable them to have access to agricultural land, distribution of planting materials to 150 women cassava farmers in collaboration with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), capacity building of 12,000 farmers on sustainable agriculture under the Value Chain Development Programme and constructive partnership with institutions and agricultural investors, among others.

         

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Samuel Adeogun admonished the group to make judicious use of the loan, to make it a pride to other clusters.

       

Similarly, the General Manager of IDIPR, Dr. Adeniyi Marcus commended the state government for the gesture, assuring that the group would live up to expectations by prudently making use of the loan.