In a bid to boost food production, the Oyo State government has delivered about 25 tons worth of fertilisers at no cost to farmers in the state.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Fajimi Shakrulahi, who received the farming inputs on behalf of the state government said, the gesture was in line with the state’s resolve to create an enabling environment for would-be investors to invest in the state.
Shakrulahi said that the initiative behind the 25 tons of fertilisers and seedlings delivered to the state to boost rice production was a specialised programme between the state government, Dangote and farmers in the state.
“We have selected about two hundred and ninety two farmers that have one hectare of land each and above for this programme. All these inputs you are seeing are going to be given to the farmers according to the number of hectares they have.”
According to Shakrulahi, the project was a pilot programme, which the state government would serve as guarantor for the farmers.
“So, after planting, Dangote will now be the off-taker. It will get the harvested rice back from the farmers at specified rates,” he noted.
He, however said, “The state government has mandated the state’s Ministry of Agriculture to resuscitate all depleted forestry for agricultural purposes.”
Furthermore, the state government would embark on plantation for five hundred hectares, while disclosing that another six thousand hectares plantation would similarly be embarked upon next year.
Farmers earmarked for the plantation had been selected, adding that they have paid visit to their farms to ascertain their level of readiness for the programme.
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