Ogun partners Kenya on agric exchange programme

Having experienced serious financial challenges in 2015 fiscal year as a result of sharp drop in revenue allocations from the Federal Government, the Ogun state government has started developing finance strategies for 2016 through effective partnership with private sector and massive investment in agricultural production for improved revenue generation.

Consequently, government is considering effective exchange programme that will focus on mechanized farming and agro-allied processing for local farmers and agriculturists as well as massive investment in cassava and rice production among other agricultural projects across the 20 local councils of the state, especially the local councils with agrarian population.

Speaking on Ogun state government agricultural policy in Abeokuta while receiving a team of experts from African Technology Foundation (AATF), a Kenya-based agency, at the weekend, Yetunde Onanuga, deputy governor of Ogun state, disclosed that the State government had resolved to fight poverty and create more wealth and jobs through investment in agriculture.

Onanuga, who doubles as the Commissioner for Rural Development, noted that government would do everything humanly possible to empower and improve the capacities of farmers at the rural areas for better performance, adding that reasonable funds would be committed to cassava and rice production in 2016 since agriculture remains backbone of all economies.

While explaining that government would not relent in its efforts at providing the necessary support for the farmers, Onanuga said, “We want to reach more farmers and ensure that farming is the business of the day. Agriculture and industrialization play vital role in the development of the rural areas and government is poised to improve the socio-economic status of the people.”

Speaking earlier, George Marechera, Manager of Cassava Mechanized and Agro-Processing Project (CAMP), African Technology Foundation (AATF) expressed the organisation’s readiness to help in transforming the lives of farmers by ensuring a good leverage in farming business, saying that mechanized system would reduce labour and improve efficiency in productivity.

Marechera explained that Ogun state, being the highest producer of cassava in Nigeria, has the market linkages and off-takers to purchase the products if huge investment were made in cassava and rice production, urging the government to encourage young entrepreneurs to embrace farming as means of livelihood.

BusinessDay recalls that the pilot stage of AATF partnership project was launched in October 2013 and featured 20 hectares of land cultivated mechanically and allocated to 50 farmers in Odogbolu Local Government Area, but Ogun state government and the Kenya-based agency are at present, working out modalities for the expansion of the project across the state.

Meanwhile, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state has proposed a sum of N10.2 billion as total expenditure (both capital and recurrent expenditure) for the Agricultural sector of its economy in the 2016 fiscal, representing 5.08 percent of N200.3 billion budget size proposed for all sectors in the year 2016.

RAZAQ AYINLA