Ogun State Government has identified adoption of digital technologies and solutions in agriculture as only way to make agriculture business attractive for youths and boost food production in Nigeria
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Bolu Owotomo addressing Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, prominent chiefs, farmers and stakeholders on Tuesday during agriculture exhibition marking this year's Lisabi Cultural Festival at Alake Palace Ground in Abeokuta, stressed the need for deliberate effort to bring youths into agriculture through adoption of digital technologies and solutions in agriculture to replace the ageing population of farmers, saying "the era of hoes and cutlasses way of agriculture are gone for ever "
Speaking on the theme of the 2024 Lisabi Day" Encouraging Youth Entrepreneurship In Agribusiness:Panacea for Solving Youth Unemployment In Egbaland , he says "the theme is coming at a time when agriculture should be regarded as business in order to promote it along its value chain"
The Prince Dapo Abiodun's administration in the state according to him, is putting in place various capacity building initiatives on Climate SMART agriculture and use of digital application through the various intervention programmes to boost food production
The commissioner listed some of the programmes and achievements of the Abiodun's administration to include reforms of agriculture land allocation to investors to enable un-denied access to agricultural land, distribution of planting materials to 150 Cassava Women Farmers in collaboration with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), empowerment of 3,000 farmers with different farm inputs under Ogun N-Cares , capacity building of 12,000 farmers on sustainable agriculture under the Value Chain Development Programme and empowerment of 230 Farmers with distribution of agricultural inputs for dry season rice production
"Ogun State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture recently disbursed a loan to the sum of Fifty Million Naira (50,000,000.00) to Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction (IDIPR),Eriwe , Ijebu-Ode", Owotomo stated
He however called on the paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo to encourage youths to develop interest in Agribusiness to compliment effort of the State Government at ensuring food sufficiency in the state
Oba Gbadebo in his response, applauded various initiatives of the Prince Dapo Abiodun's administration targeted at ensuring food security for the people,
The paramount ruler represented by the Agba Akin of Egbaland, Navy Captain Rasheed Raji(retired), urged farmers and youths in Egbaland to compliment the efforts of government by making good use of the various interventions to improve on food production, saying the south west region of Nigeria is naturally blessed with fertile lands good for planting to feed its people and entire country
Similarly, the State Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaja Ganiyat Adeoye- Kushimo was full of praises for the present administration for the support given to farmers to boost food production, calling on members to encourage their children to engage in farming for sustenance of various agricultural programmes and initiatives aimed at ensuring massive food production for the teeming population
High point of the event was visit to various exhibition by various agro-processing companies operating within Egba axis of the State
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