2024 Cropping Season: Ondo farmers free from attacks, Aiyedatiwa assures
As the Ondo State Government flagged off the 2024 Cropping Season today, the State Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa has assured, that farmers can now go about their activities in their respective farms without fear of molestation or attack as incidents of criminality and kidnapping in our farms have been reduced to the barest minimum.
The cheery assurance, according to the Governor, was made possible through the help of the regular security agencies in the State and the State-owned Security Network, the Amotekun Corps who are always visible both in the urban and rural communities.
Governor Aiyedatiwa stated these while flagging off the Year 2024 Cropping Season and distribution of farm inputs, held at Fiwasaye Girl’s Grammar School in Akure on Monday.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami, the Governor expressed happiness over the cooperation and synergy that exist between the Amotekun Corps and other security agencies in the State.
According to him; “In order to enhance our commitment to food security, promote the welfare of our farmers and create employment opportunities through the agricultural sector, we have continued to fund the various Agricultural Intervention Programmes in the State.
“As you are aware, we have continued to commit enormous funding to our agricultural agencies to enable them to achieve their core mandates.
“Our footprints can be seen and felt in Agriculture Intervention Agencies such as: Agricultural Inputs Supply Agency (AISA), Ondo State Agri- business Empowerment Centre (OSAEC), Cocoa Revolution and Management Agency, Livelihood Improvement and Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (LIFE- ND), Nigeria-COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economy Stimulus (N-CARES), Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) and also in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
“This is in line with the Rural and Agricultural Development of our REDEEMED Agenda policy thrust”, he said.
He added, that the state government’s support to farmers cuts across all areas in order to enhance productivity and ensure that farmers have good returns on their investments.
“Recently, we flagged off the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads, under the auspices of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
“This is with a view to improving access to farming communities and to facilitate and ease the transportation of farm produce to areas where they can easily be sold in order to guide against post-harvest losses.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to the regular release of grants to Farmers’ Organisations like Ondo State Cooperatives Federation (OSCOFED) Ondo State, Farmers Congress (OSFC) and Ondo State Agricultural Commodity Association (OSACA) as governments mark of support to agricultural inclined associations in the State.
The Governor warn encroachers and land grabbers to desist from carrying out illegal activities on government land and forest reserves, saying government will not fold its arms and watch people plunder her forest resources and convert her commonwealth to personal uses and gains.
“We will continue to sustain these efforts and encourage investors that are interested in taking advantage of our State’s abundant resources to invest in agriculture like food production, processing and Agricultural Value Chain Development”, he stated.
Earlier, in his welcome speech, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Olayato Aribo reeled out several efforts of Mr Governor to combat the rising cost of food items and promoting all-round agricultural development in the state, among which includes the setting up of the food security Committee in the state.
He revealed that a sum of N13.5m was released to raise 80,000 seedlings of exotic and indigenous species for plantation establishment which were being transplanted to the field this year.
He called on individuals and other agricultural investors in the State to take advantage of the State’s investor-friendliness and ease of doing business atmosphere to collaborate with the State and invest in the Agricultural sector.
While appreciating the Governor for his numerous support for agricultural sector in the State, Aribo said the Ministry’s door is opened to farmers to access Technical and Advisory Services, as well as modern farm inputs to boost their agricultural production.
The event witnessed free distribution of farm inputs to representatives of farmers’ organizations and individual by the Governor who also declared the sales of Tree Crops seedlings such as Oil-palm, Coconut, Cashew and other crops seedlings opened.
