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Ogun’s investment in agriculture yielding positive development

Result policies

There is no doubt, agriculture is globally agreed to be the bed rock of socio- economic development of every nation. Invariably, agriculture has become a science of farming which includes cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and rearing of animals to provide food, wool and other products. Considering its enormous values to the wellbeing of humanity, it is therefore crucial to a country’s development. Submission of most Economic experts said, development of the sector is a great platform for any nation to boost her trade, ensure food security, provide job opportunities in agro allied companies as well as other social economic value chains. It is believed from findings that, Agricultural Development actually reduces poverty and boost a country’s Gross Domestic Product by increasing the export capacity of the nation. Agriculture provides most of the world food and fabric among other basic needs of man. Agricultural development is one of the most powerful tools to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity, and feed a projected 9.7 billion people by 2050. The understanding of these inherent values in agriculture has prompted the Ogun State Government under the leadership of Prince Dapo Abiodun to embark on Agricultural Development initiatives that cut across crop production, animal husbandry, food processing, value chain development among others.

Abiodun’s goals

The present administration in its vision to put the state on a solid Agricultural pedestal empowered interested young farmers with the provisions of planting material numbering up to 40,000 small holders farmers while fertilizers were provided to target 10,000 small holders farmers. In Governor Abiodun’s practical approach at developing agriculture, his administration provided about 10,000 hectares of land in Iwoye-Ketu to cocoa farmers with the support of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrower’s Programme which has added a lot to the state economy. Apart from this, the State Ogun Broiler Project which has over 9,000 participants across all 20 local government areas of the State is also yielding positive results. Since the assumption of the present administration in May, 2019, it has continued to invest so much in agricultural sector so as to attract more agricultural benefits and promote socio – economic developments across the State. The completion of Pilot Phase of Ogun Broiler Project with 54 youths, has provided 108 indirect jobs and this has put smiles on the faces of the youths in the State. In addition, there were free distribution of cocoa, cashew, maize seedlings and cassava stems as COVID-19 palliatives for small holder farmers in order to ensure growth in food production.

Foresight

In furtherance of his passion for agriculture, about 100million tomato seeds were facilitated to vegetable farmers across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State as well as administering free anti – rabies vaccinations to dogs to protect Ogun indigenes from the disease. No doubt, one of the objectives of ensuring agricultural development in the State came into fruition at the recent commissioning of Fanmilk-Danone company, an integration dairy farm sited within Eweje Farm Institute, Odeda, facilitated by the French Embassy as a sustainable agricultural development drive of the present administration. The Fanmilk-Danone company came as a result of passion, com-mitment and partnership on the part of State to contribute to the socio- economic development of the State as well as create job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of youths, more so, the investment would also attract value chain opportunities and indirectly turning the State into milk producing hub. The state government should be commended for its collaboration with the Federal Government where a total of 1,000 hectares of farmland at Apojola in Odeda LGA was established. The Federal Government in partnership with the Ogun State Government cleared 10,000 hectares jointly to boost agricultural production as well as encouraged young farmers.

Future settled

There is no gainsaying the fact that all these moves by Ogun State Government under the leadership of Prince Dapo Abiodun would put the State in the frontline at ensuring the development of agricultural sector in the comity of states. However, stakeholders in the sector must join hands with the government of the today to ensure food security by thinking out of the box through new technologies, and new business models to create a more sustainable large scale production by making life more abundant for the people of the State.

––Sobola, an information officer, wrote in from Abeokuta

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