YAQOUB POPOOLA
In the aftermath of the total removal of fuel subsidy payments by the Federal Government, the prices of commodities particularly food items had gone beyond the reach of the ordinary man thereby forcing many Nigerians to go to bed hungry
However, there is the need for huge investments in Agriculture to address the good crisis.
Governments at all levels had devised a number of ways to cushion the effects of these economic hardships.
While some introduced palliatives, as short term measures, some visionary ones among them embraced the long term approach to food insecurity by re-jigging their agricultural policies and programmes in order to meet the current realities.
For example, in the last two years in Ekiti State, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji had implemented some policies and programmes aimed at redirecting the energies of the youth to embrace modern farming techniques with a view to combating the twin menace of food crisis and unemployment.
Towards the sustainability of the programme, the governor allocated the sum of N150 million for the procurement and distribution of improved seeds, agrochemicals, fertilizers and others to farmers across the state. The inputs procured and distributed included maize, rice, cocoa, cassava stalks, improved yam setts, oil palm, cashews and agrochemicals.
Though the Governor acknowledged the fact that the government alone cannot fund agriculture, he hinted that his administration was creating an enabling environment for improved public, private partnership to reposition the economy of the state.
In demonstration of his administration’s commitment to this initiative, Governor Oyebanji signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Agbeyewa Farms Limited (a subsidiary of Cavista Holdings in the areas of large scale cultivation of cassava in the state (with an initial target of 100,000 hectares) through an out-grower program.
The MOU was signed by Governor Oyebanji and the Chairman of Agbeyewa Farms, Niyi John Olajide at the last 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, USA.
He urged other investors to explore opportunities in Ekiti State, particularly in tourism, mining, and the burgeoning Ekiti Knowledge Zone and Special Agriculture Processing Zone.
The Chairman of Agbeyewa Farms, Niyi John Olajide explained that in addition to producing more. He hinted that the Agbeyewa Cassava Revolution Project will ultimately reduce cases of post-harvest loss for farmers, which has been reported to be up to 50% in previous years. “Through the Agbeyewa Cassava Revolution to be implemented across Ekiti state.
In another conscious effort to agricultural revitalization, Governor Oyebanji recently launched the ‘Bring Back the Youth in Agriculture Planting Season’ project.
In this first phase, over 400 young farmers will be enrolled, receiving not only agricultural inputs but also financial literacy training to help them manage their earnings effectively.
This is a partnership between the state government and YSJ Limited, aimed at involving young people in agriculture by providing them with necessary resources and training.
Under this arrangement, the distribution of farm inputs will be done not from the state capital, but directly from the farmlands in Oke Ako. The already cleared and ploughed lands in Oke Ako, Emure, Igede, and Iyemero are ready for the youth participants who have been trained and have been receiving seedlings for their agribusiness ventures.
Governor Oyebanji emphasized that boosting agricultural productivity is crucial to reducing food prices in the state. He encouraged local government chairmen to support this initiative by providing additional lands for farming.
To ensure the safety of the young farmers and their investments, Agro Marshals have been empowered and inaugurated to protect the farmlands. Governor Oyebanji’s agricultural policies aim at long-term solutions to eradicate hunger and food scarcity, ensuring a surplus of food in Ekiti State in the coming years.
The Governor said he was impressed with the resolve of some youths to embrace agriculture full time, stressing that one day, they too would become employers of labour.
He stated this while inspecting some project sites like, The Livestock Development Centre, which provides platform for the Ekiti Broiler Production Scheme; A-Bamsil Industrial Factory, a palm kernel processing plant; and JMK Rice Mill in Ado-Ekiti .
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He said his administration would build platforms and institutions aimed at collaborating with private sector players to open up space for Ekiti people to apply their expertise in the drive to ensure everyone lives wel. The Governor, who addressed some of the youth participating in the broilers Scheme, promised to remove all forms of constraints in doing business in the state.
According to him, agriculture has the capacity to employ thousands of youths, make them enjoy vibrant and profitable means of livelihood and enhance the economy of the state.
“Part of our plan is to encourage our young ones to go back to farm. The Broiler scheme for our youths is a pilot scheme and I’m so impressed that our young ones are now showing interest in agriculture and it speaks to one of our agenda on agriculture, job creation and youth development. And by God’s grace, once this one is stabilized, we intend to expand it, the beauty of this project is the fact that government will hand-hold them through the whole process of production.
“There is also a guaranteed market to off-take from this. Once they master what they are doing, they will be given a pen of their own that will belong to them, from which they too can employ labour and make money and it speaks to our shared prosperity agenda.
Returning the state to the farm settlement era witnessed in the old Western Region under the leadership of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in order to boost agriculture and food security.
The Governor who utilized the Independence anniversary public holiday to undertake a visit to young farmers in three cluster areas in the state, on Tuesday disclosed this during his visit to the Ikere Farm settlement. He also said construction work on ultramodern dormitories at the farm settlements would commence within the next three weeks.
About 930 youths are involved in the youth agriculture scheme known as “ Bring Back Youth into Agriculture” being carried out the state government in collaboration with a private entity YSJ Farms. Under the scheme the Government provides land to the young farmers, assists them with land clearing and seedlings as well as agric extension services among others. It also has an arrangement to buy their products for storage purposes.
The Governor said he was determined to invest hugely in agriculture, as a form of empowerment for the youths, to ensure food security and to drive industrialization. He stressed that revamping the old farm settlement strategy of the late Chief Awolowo was the only way to ensure the young farmers stay on the farms and maximize government’s support for the scheme.
Governor Oyebanji also made stopovers at some farms and took time to personally interact with farmers and asked of their needs which he drew the attention of the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade to for prompt action.
The proposed dormitories for the young farmers, according to him, would have facilities like sitting rooms, kitchens, security posts, sick bays, among others in his administration’s bid to attract more young farmers into agribusiness and turn the state into a huge agriculture hub.
The three clusters visited by the Governor and some officials included those in Eporo-Emure, Ikere and Aramoko-Erio where he monitored the young farmers who are participating in one of the agricultural initiatives of his administration “Bring Back the Youth in Agriculture.
Oyebanji also assured of the readiness of his administration to expedite action on other requests of the young farmers which include motorable roads, security at the locations and provision of vehicles and motorcycles to aid mobility of the participants.
Oyebanji who had earlier paid visits to Oke Ako, Iyemero and Igede Farm Settlements over the weekend, said it was unacceptable for the people of the State to be complaining of hunger and be queuing up for palliative materials when the State is blessed with arable land, stressing that a paradigm shift has just begun with his administration’s investment in agriculture.
He described agriculture as a lucrative business noting that farmers are among the richest set of people in developed economies pointing out that the participating youths in particular and the state in general would reap bountiful harvest in agribusiness in the long run.
The Governor assured the youths of security in all the clusters visited, adding that a massive security cordon has been woven around the locations which he said would be consolidated upon to eliminate all forms of criminality in the area.
He commended the Chief Executive Officer of YSJ Farms, Mrs Yemisi Joluwe, for partnering with his administration to take agriculture to a higher pedestal.
Oyebanji explained that with the massive clearing of land for agricultural purposes carried out by his administration, the stage has been set for the resuscitation of farm settlements established during under the leadership of Awolowo to ensure mass production of food for location consumption, export and provision of job opportunities for the teeming youths.
“The land we are returning to now were last cleared by Chief Awolowo during his time as Premier in Western Region.
“This is the beginning of greater things that will happen in Ekiti State. Western Region was renowned for agriculture under Chief Awolowo and he developed Western Region without oil money and we had food surplus in those days. With what we are doing with our youths now, we are returning to the era of Awolowo’s farm settlements.
“In Ekiti State, only six local government chairmen have keyed into this initiative. I want to ask other local government chairmen that have not keyed into this project to do so. Within the next three weeks, construction of the dormitories will start. We now have more youths showing interest in the scheme, they will have that opportunity to join in the next stage once we get more land”, the Governor added
