Ogun Incentivises Famers with Input, Others

Ogun Incentivises Famers with Input, Others

Sunday Okobi

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that the state’s Anchor Borrowers Programme will provide inputs, service support and training required for farmers through a single digit loan and a guaranteed off taker.

He added that his administration was fully committed to providing an environment that would ensure a better life for the people of the state.

Abiodun, who made this known in his office at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital, at the inauguration of a steering committee to oversee the Anchor Borrowers Programme, said the state government under his leadership was committed to the development of all sectors of the state economy, adding that the state government appreciates the immense potential of the agriculture sector.

The governor noted that the target of his administration was to produce adequate food to attain self-sufficiency in food security, adding that providence had blessed the state with favourable climate and fertile soil which over 16,000 square meters of which 80 percent is arable.

According to him, “The target of our administration is to produce adequate food to attain self-sufficiency in food security in the short term, and over the long term, produce enough food for other states and for export.

“Providence has blessed us with favourable climate and fertile soil for agriculture, as we sit on a land mass of over 16,000 Sqm, 80 percent of which is arable-we have over 12,800 Sqm of arable land.”

Abiodun, who further appealed that the state government and the people should come together to chart a way forward for the development of agriculture in the state, added that it was disheartening to note that the state had never accessed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) anchor borrowers programme.

“While we have seen the success of the anchor borrowers scheme in other states, it is disheartening that Ogun State has never accessed the CBN anchor borrowers programme through the public window,” he said.

He opined that the inauguration of the committee was a practical demonstration of his administration’s commitment towards the development of the agriculture sector in the state, adding that the programme would target over 40,000 farmers, of which 10,000 would be attended to in the first instance.

“In this programme, we are targeting the empowerment of over 40,000 farmers, and we are going to start in the first instance with an initial 10,000 farmers to which we are going to allocate 10,000 hectares of land to them,” he said.

“The terms of reference for the steering committee are to play a supervising role in the implementation of the Ogun State Anchor Borrowers Scheme; design overarching methodology for the implementation of the anchor programme in the state; communicate decisions taken on the project to the governor and other stakeholders; coordinate all relevant stakeholders; set up and supervise project management teams and local government committees among others, including the review of submitted cost of production/economics of production for all value chains,” the governor said.

The committee is headed by Prof. Adebola Okuneye as chairman, while other members are Dr. Adetunji Oredipe, Mrs. Abosede Ogunleye, Dr. Angel Kuye, Hon. Abiodun Niyi, Mrs. Taiwo Ayansanwo, Prince Segun Dasaolu, Mr. Okanlawon Suraj, Mrs. Oyinlola Oyenuga, Mr. David Olawale, Mr. Kayode Abiodun, Mrs. Oluyemi Kuforiji, Mrs. Oluwafunmilayo Oyewole, Mr. Ejalonibu Adebayo among many others.

In his response, the Chairman of the Ogun State Anchor Borrowers Program Steering Committee, Prof. Adebola Okuneye, appreciated the governor for placing on their hands a major task of repositioning the agriculture sector and steering the states anchor borrowers programme, promising that the job would be done diligently.

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