Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has disclosed that the state is revolutionalising farming to make agriculture attractive to youths.
The Governor said massive supports for farmers, modern technological trainings for enhanced yields, provision of improved seedlings, engagement and encouragements in forms of loans and lands with provision of access roads to farming communities in the state have all helped to bring farming into focus.
Aregbesola listed the strategies embarked upon by the state to make this possible when he hosted the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, in his Office in Osogbo.
Both the governor and the minister sought partnership as part of the ways out of the current economic challenges being experienced by Nigerians.
The Osun Governor said the present economy has left Nigerians with options of either to develop or destroy the country, thus calling for massive participation in agriculture.
“So, considering development, the only viable alternative is to till the land for massive agriculture to ensure better economic alternative.
“We all need to go back to the land. Let us start by feeding ourselves. We don’t need to wait till we get machineries. Let us develop spirit of farming. Farming is the only way to economic prosperity of the Nigerian nation,” he said.
Speaking, the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said it was unfortunate that Nigeria was still spending billions of dollars on food importation, thus calling for massive collaboration and partnership between and among the various authorities to revamp agriculture.
“By December this year we will stop the importation of rice into the country. It’s a pity that as a nation we spend about N5 million dollars on the importation of rice on a daily basis.
“We have no choice in this country now but to get back to the land and begin to till the land to be able to free ourselves and the land from poverty because oil and gas can no longer do it.
“In Osun, there is a lot of potentials through various crops; just two crops alone are enough for Osun to make over three billion dollars in a month.
While expressing readiness to partner Osun in his efforts to enhance agriculture potentials, Ogbeh said the ministry has mapped out strategies to collaborate with the state on piggery production, cocoa production, cassava, cashew, cattle and lot more.
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