By; NIYI OGUNGBOLA, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Government has allocated 100 hectares of cassava farmlands to Batch C of beneficiaries of Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), at Ikenne Dairy Farm, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.
This is one of plans by the state government towards ensuring food security.
Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina said the programme had registered over 7,000 interested youths in various commodities, in addition to 12,000 under Value-Chain Development Programme (VCDP).
Dr. Odedina stated that the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun flagged-off allocation of inputs to 3,000 batch A beneficiaries in May 2020, with a follow up of 2,500 beneficiaries of batch B in October 2020.
The Commissioner added that farmlands have been cleared for cassava cultivation in over 22 locations across the State, linkage to off takers and all value chain stakeholders, among others.
He urged the beneficiaries to spread the good news to others who have lost hope, saying the present government had delivered hectares of land, created access to mechanised farming and provided inputs to farmers who enrolled for the programme.
In her goodwill message, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. (Mrs.) Angel Adelaja-Kuye, said the ABP had captured relevant practicing farmers with vast wealth of experience in different value chains to train youths, adding that the Prince Dapo Abiodun led administration is poised to ensuring that dividends of democracy cut across board, through its massive investment in agricultural development programmes.
Also speaking, the representative of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Rasheed Fajimi, revealed that the initiative would create economic linkage between small holder farmers and reputable companies involved in specific Agricultural commodities with a view to increasing production output and ensuring food sufficiency.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Lucky Osawonta and Mrs. Itunu Olufemi expressed delight at the exercise.
He applauded the State Government, the Central Bank of Nigeria and House Committee on Agriculture for fulfilling their promises.
They described the programme as a dream come through, saying they would make judicious use of the farmland.
