The Osun State Government has empowered farmers in the state with 100,000 cocoa seedlings and hectares of farmland.
Recognising the importance of agriculture to the state’s economy, the State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, said that the farmers in the state would be beneficiaries of state initiatives to boost its economic base.
Highlighting some progress recorded by the state towards achieving its goal, Oyetola disclosed that a Demonstration Site at AISU, Ede, had been created and would be used for various farming purposes in line with “good agricultural practices”.
The governor inaugurated the Osun Broilers Outgrowers Production Scheme (OBOPS), which was established to cater to poultry farmers.
He added that the sum of N200,000,000 had been pledged to support the programme, adding that the “offtakers of the products are readily available”.
He expressed the desire of the administration to position Osun State as the “face of agricultural transformation” in the Southwestern region of the country.
Oyetola said, “It is pertinent to remind this gathering that agriculture still remains the mainstay of the State economy and the sector has vast potential for generating revenue, employment, provision of agro-allied raw materials, and supply of food to the teeming populace of the State.
“I would like to remind this gathering of my inaugural speech where I promised that our Administration would consolidate on the Agricultural Land Expansion Programme for the establishment of additional farm settlements.
“It is my pleasure to inform you that we have approved the establishment of 10,000 hectares of farmland to be used as a farm settlement at F3 in Ife-South Local Government in which 400 hectares of the farmland have been cleared to empower one thousand (1,000) youths in the cultivation of arable crops.
“Also, 23 hectares of farmland have been cleared at Ifon, in Orolu Local Government as a Demonstration Site for youths and women empowerment and agro-processing centres.
“To fulfil our electioneering promises in the Agriculture sector, Government has embarked on a number of projects aimed at enhancing the economic base of the State and that of the farmers, especially the Tree Crop Unit of the Ministry which is distributing Cocoa seedlings freely.
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“Also, the State Government established a Demonstration Site at AISU, Ede, where Greenhouse, with irrigation facilities, has been installed for all-year-round tomatoes production, construction of fish ponds, and milk collection centre to demonstrate good agricultural practices.
“Our administration has the intention to establish one demonstration centre each in the other two Senatorial Districts.
“Furthermore, the Extension Services delivery arm of the Osun State Agricultural Development Programme (OSSADEP) has been fortified to avail our farmers of new and improved up-to-date farming practices, while the Osun State Agricultural Development Corporation (OSSADEC) and Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have been repositioned with the procurement of new tractors and its implements.
“It is, therefore, an added pleasure to relaunch Osun Broilers Outgrowers Production Scheme (OBOPS), which has been re-engineered and re-inaugurated to empower poultry farmers, mostly youths and women in the State, with day-old broiler chicks, feeds, drugs, vaccine, and other logistics to rear them up to six weeks when they would have attained market weight. A sum of two hundred Million Naira (#200,000,000.00) has been released for this programme and off-takers of the products are readily available.
“I urge the beneficiaries of this free distribution initiative to take advantage of it to key into the vision of our Administration to become the face of agricultural transformation in the Southwest.
“I promise that this Administration will continue to give maximum support to our farmers, as agriculture remains a component in our quest for transforming our State’s economy.”
