The Ogun State, in collaboration with the Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has distributed agro inputs to 450 farmers for 2023 planting season.
The NewsZenith reports that the support is coming under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) of the IFAD.
The government distributes the input on Friday to enable the farmers to boost production for food security.
It held at Isonyin Ijebu North East LGA under the supervision of Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Samuel Adeogun.
Adeogun said the government selected mainly rice and cassava farmers, as beneficiaries from eight local government areas.
The LGAs are Obafemi-Owode, Yewa North, Yewa South, Ijebu North East, Ijebu East, Ifo, Odogbolu and Odeda.
According to him, the programme is in line with the objectives of the Agricultural Promotion Policy(APP) and the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
“The objective was to catalyse a market-led value-added production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava commodities and products by smallholders farmers,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary added that the programme was in line with the Ogun State Agricultural Revolution initiatives of the current administration of Gov. Dapo Abiodun.
He remarked that since the inception of the FGN/IFAD/VCDP, it had supported more than 10,000 farmers with inputs.
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The farmers have cultivated 9,000 hectares of both rice and cassava across the eight participating local government areas.
“This year, another batch of 450 farmers will benefit from this exercise across three new participating local governments.
“The inputs support is under the grant arrangement, in which the farmers pay 50 per cent of the cost and the programme pays 50 per cent, using the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) modules.
“Each farmer will get four bags of NPK fertiliser, two litres of post-emergence herbicide and 40kg of rice seedlings.
“Cassava farmers will get 50 bundles of cassava cutting stems,” Adeogun said.
He, however, appealed to the beneficiaries to utilise the inputs for achieving higher productivity. He added that the state government was determined to ensure food security.
In his remark, Chairman of Ijebu North East Council, Mr Folusho Badejo, appealed to beneficiaries to utilise the inputs effectively.
“This would, in turn, boost food security in the state,” Badejo said.
On behalf of beneficiaries, Mrs Margaret Ademoorin and Mr Fatai Adewale thanked the FGN-IFAD/VCDP and Ogun government for the gesture.
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