WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR AGRO INVESTORS – ODEDINA

The Ogun State Government has disclosed that it will continue to support Agro investors especially in the Rice Value Chain as well as other Agricultural commodities in order to boost food sufficiency

Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina who made this known during a tour to Hyst Global Business Limited, makers of Okun Rice, in Itoikin, a boundary community between Lagos and Ogun State revealed that this became imperative as the Ministry of Agric will be linking Rice Farmers in the state with off takers and processors.

The Commissioner stated that the State’s Government have been assisting responders to its earlier call to link young people to industrial process, adding that, the Government has also been proactive to to meet the envisaged high demand for food after covid 19.

“During this pandemic, we don’t want the people to be aimless, so as a strategy of supporting investment in Agriculture, we have given special permit to farmers to continue to work but we ensure that they adhere strictly to social distancing and other measures to guide against the spread of covid 19”, Odedina said.

He assured other prospective agro investors of good and profitable partnership, submitting that the era of the challenge of lack of inputs and other necessary materials needed for farming was over.

Speaking after inspecting a 30 hectares of Rice farm,Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agric, Dr. Dotun Sorunke said the Ministry has been mandated by the governor, to ensure that there is enough food for the people of the state, maintaining that this formed the basis for the tour to various prospective off takers for youth farmers in the Rice Value Chain of the State’s Anchor Borrowers’Programme.

Sorunke said ” We have secured 30 hectares of land in this area which will serve 30 youths that would come for rice farming. We would also ensure a profitable marketing for them to thrive”.

Responding, owner of the facility, Biodun Onalaja who relocated from the northern part of Nigeria just to key in to the lofty Agriculture policies of the state government, said as an indigene of the state, he would not relent in partnering the present administration’s effort at enhancing Agric, submitting that the Government has indeed afforded investors the right environment.