By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has disclosed that the state government is to be subsidizing land clearing for farmers across the state.
The governor who said this on Wednesday, at a meeting with stakeholders in the agriculture sector, held at the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub, Oyo town also announced immediate suspension of revenue collection on agric produce marketed within the state for the next six months
Governor Makinde pointed out that these were part of the measures by his administration towards addressing the rising cost of food in the state by providing tractors and haulage trucks for farmers, among other measures.
He maintained that in the land clearing for farmers across the state with an initial sum of N600 million, farmers are now expected to pay N15,000 instead of N30,000 for land clearing, while the government will pay the balance.
” I have noted some few things from the points you all raised and there are few decisions we are going to take. The first one is the issue of revenue, because those in charge are compounding the problem of increment in prices of food stuff. For the next six months, nobody should collect any revenue and all the people involved should know that this takes effect immediately”, he said.
Gov Makinde added, “We will set up a special line you can call when you have issues with recalcitrant revenue collectors who are not ready to abide by this pronouncement.”
The governor said his government will continue to do everything necessary to make life easy for residents of the state, adding that “agricultural produce taken out of the borders of Oyo State will attract necessary revenues”.
He also declared that Oyo state has disbursed N1 billion to smallholder farmers through the Sustainable Action for Economic recovery (SAfER), also declared that the Agriculture Credit Corporation of Oyo State (ACCOS) loan support to farmers will no longer require a civil servant as guarantor, stating that farm associations will now guarantee their members to have access to the loan.
The governor noted further that since the removal of fuel subsidy, his administration has been doing everything possible to make life easier for residents of Oyo State, including spending N77 million monthly to subsidise public transportation for 20,000 residents of the state on a daily basis, among other measures and that it would do everything possible to stem the tide of rising food cost.
“In Oyo State, we have been getting data on what we have been producing, which suggests that our production is on the increase but the prices of food stuffs are also increasing. As a government, we have also done quite a bit to stimulate and support the process of food security. It is either what we are doing is not enough or they are not being channeled to the right sources.
“So, our meeting here is not a talk-shop but to brainstorm on some issues and bring up solutions. I expect you to open up so we can tackle the problem we have on the ground”.
