Agriculture

Agricultural sector can take care of Nigeria’s needs if properly harnessed – Expert

By Web News 1239

Key players in the agricultural sector have identified the need for more Nigerians, especially the youths to tap into the lucrative prospect of the sector’s value chain in their bid to boost wealth creation.

They made the submission as discussants at an Agro-allied exhibition, organized in Abeokuta by the Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture as part of activities to commemorate the 17th anniversary of Oba Aremu Gbadebo as the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland. 

An investor in the Cassava Value Chain, Mr Goke  Adeyemi while speaking on Agro-processing and Agro-Cultural space, said the available natural resources in the country were enough to grow sector all sectors of the economy and urged the youths to explore the values of cassava processing. 

Also, the Ogun State Secretary of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Mr Oludare Kuforiji called on the government to invest more in agriculture to better the lot of Nigerians.

A representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Dr Yemisi Olukoya said the federal government through the bank had initiated the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme among other interventions to enable farmers to access loans from commercial banks.

Dr Olukoya tasked the Ogun State government, private investors and other development partners to key into the various agricultural programmes of the federal government to enhance the nation’s food production capacity.

Addressing the people, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo called on the CBN to sustain the tempo of interventions in the agricultural sector and urged beneficiaries of government’s loans to pay back promptly in the interest of others. 

Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina who took the dignitaries at the event on an inspection of the agricultural exhibition, said the event was part of efforts aimed at repositioning the sector. 

Oluwatoyin Adegoke

Subscribe to our Telegram and YouTube Channels also join our Whatsapp Update Group

Agriculture

Ogun Govt. Trains Farmers on Dairy Food Production

By Web News 736

The Ogun State government in partnership with foreign investors has trained 85 local dairy farmers in a bid to improve food sufficiency and reduce the importation of milk in Nigeria.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina made this known while presenting certificates to the first set of trainees at the Eweje Farm Institute, Odeda, Ogun State. 

Dr Odedina, who explained that the training of local dairy farmers was the first of its kind in the history of Ogun State, said the move was in line with the present administration’s commitment to job creation, poverty alleviation and food security. 

He described the Farm Institute as an ideal training centre where young entrepreneurs would be given the opportunity to supply dairy products to the facility and encouraged the participants to take advantage of the agricultural value chain to improve their standard of living. 

A representative of the private company, Mr Godwin Allen said the training session focused on educating participating farmers on milk collection, animal health, sustainable dairy farming practices and dairy production, adding that the training would be a continuous process, as the second phase would commence in due time. 

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mrs Mariam Motikoya commended the state government for the opportunity and appealed to the government to sustain the training to enable farmers in other parts of the state to benefit and become financially stable.

Olajumoke Idowu

Subscribe to our Telegram and YouTube Channels also join our Whatsapp Update Group

Agriculture

We are committed to guaranteeing food security – Ogun Agric Commissioner

By Web News 973

Ogun State Government has renewed its commitment to ensuring food security in the state as well as providing raw materials for industrial growth and expansion of infrastructural facilities for socio-economic development.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina gave the indication during the 2022 Budget Defence at the Ogun State House of Assembly’ Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Dr Odedina told the lawmakers that the ministry had set machineries in motion to consolidate on its achievements in the promotion of selected key value chains such as Rice, Cassava, Poultry and Fish.

The Agriculture commissioner, who said the sum of 3.78 billion naira was being proposed as budget estimate for the next fiscal year, said the ministry was anticipating support to farms and firms from World Bank Intervention in 2022.

In same vein, the Commissioner for Forestry, Mr Tunji Akinosi said a total budget estimate of 1.395 billion naira was expected to be expended in the next fiscal year.

Other agencies that defended their budget estimates are the State Forestry Plantation Project, Agro Service Corporation, the State Agricultural Development Corporation, the State Agricultural Development Programme, the State Cassava Revolution Programme, the State Value Chain Development Programme and the State Economic Transformation Project.

Oluwatoyin Adegoke