By Olusegun Folarin
About eighteen thousand farmers across eight local government areas of Ogun State have been empowered under the IFAD-assisted Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP, to boost rice and cassava production.
Acting State Co-ordinator of the Programme, Mrs. Abiola Adewole-Sobukola, who made this known during an assessment tour of some projects in four council areas of the state, said the government’s intervention had helped to stabilize food prices in local markets.
The tour of projects sites in Ijebu East, Ijebu North-East, Odeda and Yewa North local council areas was aimed at assessing the interventions of the federal government in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD – Value Chain Development Programme and the Ogun State government in developing rice and cassava value chain initiatives.
Farmer’s records indicated that cassava yield has risen from between 8 and 12 metric tonnes per hectare in 2015 to between 25 and 40 metric tonnes per hectare ten years after as a result of government’s interventions.
The VCDP Coordinator, Mrs. Adewole-Sobukola listed the areas of interventions to include access to training and support on good agronomic practices, improved access to markets and better prices for their products, as well as empowerment of farmers to specialise in their area of expertise.
She emphasized the need for increased support to overcome challenges and ensure the programme’s sustainability.
Also, the VCDP Knowledge Management and Communication Officer, Mr. Ibikunle Faneye disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed between smallholder farmers and off-takers to guarantee fair prices for cassava while aiming to meet the demands for local consumption and industrial use.
Some of the farmers, including Mr. Yusuf Kazeem and Elder Eweoba Timothy, told Radio Nigeria that the projects had helped to improve cassava value chain, particularly in the area of processing for derivatives such as garri, lafun and fufu.
Others, like Mr Onanuga Babatunde and Pastor Olaniyi Oluwaseyi also acknowledged a significant increase in the capacity of cassava processing factories, noting the availability of solar-powered boreholes as additional sources of revenue to the farmers.
In a remark, the Chairman, Ijebu North East Local Government, Mr. Badejo Folusho, pledged the council’s continued collaboration with relevant bodies, especially the VCDP, to boost food production in the state.
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