Ogun State Government in collaboration with the Federal Government under the Valued-Chain Development Programme (VCDP) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has empowered farmers with Point of Sale (PoS) Machines worth N10million, agricultural inputs, solar pumping machines and fertilisers, to boost food production in the state.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, during flagging off of the empowerment programme in Abeokuta, explained that the move was to assist farmers with essential incentives needed for dry season rice production.
Owotomo added that the programme would also witness inauguration of state Commodity Alliance Forum (CAF), matching grants with two bags of NPK fertilisers, one litre of selected herbicides and five solar-powered water pumps, which would be installed one per local government.
The Commissioner added that no fewer than 230 farmers would benefit directly from the programme, which would be cascaded to other farmers, in a bid to cultivate 50 hectares of rice farmland.
“The distribution of 40 PoS worth N10 million to the identified young people in the participating Local Government Areas is a means of empowering our farmers, especially women and young farmers to earn additional income through provision of financial services to other farmers in the rural areas, to further deepen their financial inclusion in the state”, he said.
He highlighted some achievements of the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration to include, reforms of agricultural land allocation to investors and distribution of planting materials to 150 Cassava Women Farmers, in collaboration with National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA)
He listed other achievements of the administration to include capacity building of 12,000 farmers in sustainable agricultural investors, aimed at enhancing Ogun Food System, animal health programmes through control and prevention of incidence and spread of zoonotic diseases and disbursement of N50 million loan to Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction, at Eriwe, Ijebu-Ode, among others.
On his part, the National Coordinator, VCDP, Dr. Fatimah Aliyu, represented by Mr. Nurudeen Lawal, said Ogun was one of the flagship states blessed with arable lands and skilful rural farmers, hence the need to empower them with inputs, towards ensuring best agricultural practices, to engender abundant food supply.
Earlier, the Acting State Programme Coordinator, Mrs. Temitope Ajisafe, explained that the objective of VCDP was to enhance a sustainable basis income and food security of poor rural households engaged in the production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava, stating that the 230 direct benefiting farmers were already undergoing training on good agricultural practices, while the inaugurated CAF was a forum that would bring together all stakeholders in cassava and rice productions at local government levels.
In his acceptance speech, Chairman of the newly inaugurated CAF, Mr. Kamorudeen Shokunbi and other beneficiary, Mr. Shittu Oladipupo, who applauded the state and Federal Government for alleviating the plight of farmers, noted that the support would keep them in business, soliciting for more modern agricultural equipment for easier and better cultivation.
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