Food Security: Abiodun flags off distribution of fertilisers to 12,000 farmers

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, on Monday, flagged off the first phase of his administration’s distribution of fertilisers to different categories of farmers, with a promise to aggressively tackle food scarcity in the state.

About 7,000 out of 12,000 farmers enlisted for the scheme will benefit from the first phase.

Speaking at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Mr Abiodun acknowledged the growing disparity between food supply and global food production, which has led to scarcity.

“It is widely known that the global population is growing exponentially while the overall food production is falling and struggling to keep pace. We will be more aggressive in tackling food inflation.

“The initiative symbolises more than just the distribution of fertiliser. It represents our collective resolve to support the agriculture sector and ensure that farmers have the resources they need to cultivate their land effectively and efficiently.

“The provision of the right type and adequate amount of fertiliser is crucial to boosting crop yields, enhancing quality, and ultimately securing food supply for our state and the nation,” he said.

The distribution, the governor noted, marked another significant milestone in the ongoing commitment to ensuring food security and empowering farmers.

He emphasised that agriculture remained the backbone of the nation’s economy, creating and providing sustenance and reliable job opportunities for millions of Nigerians.

He noted the challenges farmers were facing in terms of unstable market prices and climate change, adding that with the right support and incentives, farmers could drive and transform the nation’s agricultural sector.

“12,000 farmers will benefit from this programme. In the first phase, at least 7,000 farmers are to benefit. This distribution spans various categories of farmers, including the Nigeria Cassava Association, Rice Farmers Association, Maize Association of Nigeria, Farmer Allottees, Agro-services Crop Farmers, the Agricultural Development Programme, the Farmer Settlement and Estate Farmers, Tree Crops Farmers, and farmers in all 20 local government areas.

“It is gratifying to note that the ongoing cooperation of states and the federal government on this transformation agenda, particularly in agriculture, will create several opportunities. It will serve as a viable business venture, and we should all come together to ensure its success,” the governor noted.

The present administration, Mr Abiodun said, has designed and implemented programmes and interventions through the implementation of the “Building Our Future Together” agenda as encapsulated in the ISEYA mantra.

According to the governor, reforms such as the allocation of agricultural lands to investors in the sector at Imasayi, Afon, Oke-Odan, Mamu, and the Odeda Farm Settlement, as well as the allocation of land to members of the State Executive Council, House of Assembly members, and High Court judges, were geared towards operationalising the state’s back-to-land agenda.

He said his administration had given materials to 50 cassava women farmers in collaboration with the National Agriculture Land Development Authority, empowered 3,000 farmers with farm inputs under the Ogun N-CARES project, as well as provided capacity building for 12,000 farmers under the Value Chain Development Programme.

In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Bolu Owotomo, said the administration has positively intervened in farming activities by giving 1,000 farmers, especially those from farm settlements, a 50 per cent reduction in purchasing fertiliser, pesticides, and cassava stems.

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He said the state government has also intervened through the off-take programme by identifying 30,000 farmers and dividing them into clusters of 65 per cent in mechanisation and a 50 per cent discount in inputs and capacity building.

Responding, the chairperson of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Ogun State chapter, Kudirat Kusimo, appreciated the state government for its efforts in providing succour to the farmers while calling on the farmers to be honest by using the fertiliser for the purpose it was meant for.