Food Sufficiency: Southern governors to promote regional trade – Abiodun

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has said governors of the southern states have decided to promote inter-state and inter-region trade to foster food security and sufficiency.

Mr Abiodun said that the state government decided to establish farmers’ markets across the state, to ensure food security.

He disclosed this when he received in audience the newly constituted Governing Council of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), led by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi.

Mr Abiodun, who is the chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum (SGF), said the southern states have no reason not to promote trade among themselves with the fertile land and human capacity in the region.

“As a matter of fact, I and my colleagues in the southern part of Nigeria have met and have said that we have no reason not to promote inter-state or inter-region trade.

“There is no reason why someone from the South-east or South-south is not buying yam or tomatoes from somebody in the South-west. There is no reason why someone from the South-west is not buying rice from Ebonyi.

“We should be able to attain food security and sufficiency within our region because we have the human capacity and the necessary arable land. There is nothing we do not have to ensure we achieve this objective,” he said.

The Ogun State governor said the farmers’ market would be located in strategic locations across the state, including Asero in Abeokuta and Ogere along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

He also said plans have been concluded to move the Kara cattle market from its present location to Ogere, where the cattle merchants can have access to a good atmosphere.

“We believe that with the number of smallholder farmers we have in Ogun State, it will be an advantage to them if we have the farmers’ market located in strategic places,” he added.

The governor noted that his administration sees agriculture as a way of providing food security, creating employment and generating revenue.

He observed that FUNAAB, specifically, should be at the forefront of championing food security, having been established for that purpose at the outset.

Mr Abiodun also promised to collaborate with the institution in some ways, including in cassava production, saying that the Iyana camp to Alabata road was already under the radar of his administration.

Earlier, Oba Olabomi, who described Mr Abiodun as one of the best governors in the country, called for collaboration with the state government at a time when people were clamouring for food.

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The royal father said the institution is poised to contribute its quota to ensure food security in the country, urging the state government to take advantage of the several training programmes, research and development that the institution has to offer.

The Pro-Chancellor appealed to Mr Abiodun to assist the institution by reconstructing the Iyana-Camp to Alabata road, which had been destroyed due to the activities of trucks.