AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
Farmers numbering 1,545 from 19 of the 33 local government council areas of Oyo State have received agricultural inputs under the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency project in a scheme powered by the Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus in partnership with the World Bank.
The agricultural input scheme was said to be in line with Governor Seyi Makinde’s vision to assist farmers in the state who were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kolawole Adewumi Bamigbola, State Coordinator of N-Cares, Result Area 2, while briefing journalists at the Oluyole Local Government Area during the last phase of the distribution of inputs to farmers in 19 LGAs in the state, said that the benefitting farmers were given inputs based on their areas of specialization.
Kolawole gave the breakdown of the 19 LGAs covered as Iwajowa (100 farmers), Oluyole (70 farmers), Ibarapa North (60 farmers), Ibarapa Central (50 farmers) Ibarapa Eastf (100 farmers), Lagelu -70, Ido – 90, Iseyin -80, Oorelope – 70, Oyo East – 80, Olorunsogo – 170, Saki East – 65, Oriire – 100, Kajola – 80, Ogbomosho South-90, Surulere – 70, Egbeda – 70, Atiba – 100, and 20 in Ona-Ara.
According to him, the state sponsored Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project beneficiaries were carried along in the distributions exercise across the 19 LGAs so far reached.
Kolawole said, “The beneficiaries comprise casava farmers, maize farmers, rice and tomatoes farmers. The beneficiaries should count this as a privilege and utilize these inputs for the intended purpose.The programme is about providing support to small scale farmers that were affected by Covid-19 during the year 2020.
“Though Covid-19 is no more ravaging the country, we find out that there is still hardship occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy. These inputs will assist and serve as palliatives to the famers so that there would be reduction in hunger and poverty in the society.”
A total of 70 Cassava farmers in Oluyole Local Government Area, out of which were 30 YEAP beneficiaries, received 20 bundles of cassava cuttings, 2 bags of NPK fertilizer and 1litre of herbicide each under the OyoN-Cares to boost food production in the state.
In Atiba LGA, each of the 100 tomatoes farmers received 25 sachets of tomatoes seeds, 1 pre-emergence and 1 post-emergence herbicide, with NPK 20-10-10 fertilizer, while in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, 20 tomatoes farmers were supported.
In Oyo East LGA, each of the 80 cassava farmers received 20 bundles of cassava cuttings with two bags of NPK and 1 litter of herbicide. Also, in Lagelu Local Government Area Council, Iyana-Offa, a total of 70 farmers, comprising 40 cassava farmers and 30 maize farmers, received 20 bundles of cassava cuttings, 2 bags of NPK fertilizers, and 1 litres of herbicide, while each of the 30 maize farmers collected 10kg of maize seeds, 2 bags of NPK fertilizers and 1 pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicide.
In separate remarks, thC chairman of Oluyole LGA, Olaide Popoola; and his counterpart in Ona-Ara, Musibau Sanusi, lauded Governor Seyi Makinde for supporting farmers at the grassroots.
Sanusi urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items given stating that the council would complement the gesture to the genuine famers for improved productivity by opening up land for cultivation.
Olaide said, “This benefit is one of the palliatives rolled out through the goodwill of Governor Seyi Makinde. I’m now using this medium to enjoin all the beneficiaries in Oluyole Local Government Council Area to make good use of the items.”
A YEAP cassava farmer from Egbeda Local Government Area, Olatoyosi Rashidat, said, “I’m so grateful for this opportunity by the state government. I was sponsored to Nasarawa State to learn agriculture on a bigger scale with the use of modern technology. Coming back to Ibadan, I ventured into cassava farming and today, I’m one of the beneficiaries that received 20 bundles of cassava cuttings and fertilizer among other things. I really appreciate the state governor.”
