Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said his administration is placing high premium on agriculture by giving necessary supports to farmers to ensure food security and healthy diets for zero hunger world.
This is coming as the governor disclosed that his government has procured 20 tractors to be distributed to interested agricultural associations or farmers to increase their production and address the challenges of farm mechanisation being faced by farmers in the state in the past due to inadequate tractors for land preparation and other activities.
The governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Olugbenga Ale, spoke at the 2019 World Food Day celebration held at the Trade Fair Complex, Akure, the Ondo state capital, noting that his government has been providing loans and other supports to commodity associations to increase their scope of production which would ultimately lead to food security.
The event was organised by the state Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Ondo State Agricultural Commodities’ Association (OSACA). The theme of this year’s World Food Day is, “Healthy Diets for Zero Hunger World.”
He further said the Igba Otun Broiler Production Scheme is another innovation of his administration in the area of food security in which interested poultry farmers are empowered to produce broilers which are sold to public, while some are used to service the school feeding programme to increase protein intake of the people and the pupils of the state public primary schools.
Akeredolu asserted that it is imperative to make healthy and sustainable diets available, affordable and accessible to everybody in the world hence the reason Ondo State government is placing high premium on agriculture by providing loans to commodity associations to increase their scope of production which would ultimately lead to food security.
He said Bee Keepers Association, who are primarily honey producers have benefited immensely from the government’s noble gesture.
According to Akeredolu, in order to bring back the lost glory in agriculture, his administration has been encouraging the cultivation of tree crops for more revenue generation by distributing cocoa seedlings and oil palm seedlings to farmers free of charge.
This, he stressed, was apart from improved cashew and oil palm seedlings distributed to selected schools in the three senatorial districts of the state under School-on-Rdges programme designed to catch the students young for enhanced interest in agriculture.
The governor noted that government has presently ordered 30, 000 improved oil palm sprouted nuts from Palm Elite (CIRAD) France to assist the small scale farm holders in the state in order to bridge the yawning gap of true to type improved seedlings which tends to limit their yields.
Akeredolu who assured that his administration would continue to support farmers through the provision of grants, loans and access to land through declassification of some forests in the state for large and small scale farming.
Also, the Chairman, Ondo State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Taofik Oladele, said agriculture remains economic mainstay of the state and Nigeria at large, hence all hands must be on deck to develop the sector to ensure food sufficiency, improved revenue and job creation in the society.
Highlight of the celebration were the decoration of the governor as Grand Patron of OSACA and presentation of awards
The Hope
