The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has been praised for his efforts in the development of the agricultural sector in the state.
His acclaim was sung by the Executive Director of the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, Abayomi Olaniyan, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Olaniyan listed programmes initiated by the Makinde administration including the Oyo State Agro-input Dealers Association (OYSAIDA), among other initiatives promoted by the state government.
He stressed, “In the past two years in office, Gov. Seyi Makinde has contributed immensely to agricultural development in the state.”
Olaniyan added, “He established the agriculture business development agency (OYSAIDA); he upgraded the existing farm settlements to farm estates to enhance value addition to our agricultural produce.
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“He introduced agricultural programmes for youths (STEP-OYO) in order to challenge the mindset of youths and expose them to viable opportunities in agriculture business from a young age.
“The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, in collaboration with Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, organised a dialogue series across the six geo-political zones to tackle food security challenges.
“In a bid to accelerate the implementation and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the Secretary- General of UN will convene a summit on food systems in September, 2021.
“This is to develop the future direction of global food systems and inspire other necessary actions.
“The Oyo State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN), coordinated by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, is actively complementing the efforts of the state government to improve nutritional status for children, women and other groups in the state.
“We recently launched the four-year Action Plan on Food and Nutrition, which became operational with the implementation of the year 2021 budget.”
Proffering the way forward in terms of boosting food production, Olaniyan said that “national research institutes should be considered when thinking of boosting food production.
“We have all seen that the issue of change in climate is a reality, thus efforts should be geared toward provision of irrigation facilities, working in conjunction with River Basins, just like it’s happening in the North, irrigation is the order of the day.
“Our government and farmers should be aware and rise up to the task so as to guide against low productivity or no productivity at all, which can lead to hunger and poverty.”
