Aregbesola Charges Farmers to Increase Food Production

Aregbesola Charges Farmers to Increase Food Production

Governor Rauf Aregbesola

By Yinka Kolawole 

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state has charged farmers to redouble their efforts of food production so as to be able to feed the state and have enough for exportation.
The governor was speaking at the recent grand finale of the 2013 Agric and Farmers Festival, which was held at the playing field of the Government Technical College, Osogbo, the state capital.

Aregbesola, who said the food being produced by farmers in the state was not enough for consumption, lamented the fact that Nigeria spends over N600 billion yearly on the importation of food items. The money, according to the governor, would be very useful if channelled into the development of the agricultural sector.

He said the major aim of the administration in investing so much into the agric sector is for the state to be able to feed itself and also export whatever remains, adding that the reason why food security was added to the Ministry of Agriculture was for the people of Osun to be able to feed or else there would be chaos.

While commenting on the competition organised to pick the best farmer in the state, Aregbesola frowned on the method being adopted for the competition, saying the method was not credible enough.
He then announced that as from this year he would contribute prize money worth N5 million so as to bring in proper organisation into the competition.

He added that the spot of the best farmer in the state would be picked on the basis of the farmer that has the largest farmland in the state and that can turn in the highest income within a year in each of the local governments in the state, from which the overall farmer with the largest farm.
The governor said the highest income would be named as the best farmer in the state, saying such method would be adopted for all the categories in the competition.

In an address, the Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, state of Osun chapter, Chief Emiola Ogunsanya, said through the various interventions of the present administration in the agricultural sector, things are now getting better for farmers in terms of providing farmers with agro chemicals with 30 per cent subsidy, fertiliser with 50 per cent subsidy, provision of farm inputs and the provision of loans to farmers.

While appreciating the governor for creating and rehabilitating the access roads that lead to major farm sites in the state, the AFAN chairman said farmers in the state are now finding it
easier to transport their farm produce from their various farms to the markets around the state, adding that no government in his over 30 years of farming has shown interest in assisting farmers in the state.
The chairman then appealed to the federal government to change its stand on the importation of food items into the country, saying that about $533 million was spent on fish importation alone, stressing that such money should have been spent on the development of dams and lakes that are all over the country.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Wale Adedoyin, stated that the present administration would continue to give full support to farmers and commit resources to promote, encourage and push farmers with a view to bringing out the best in them.

He said the intention of the governor is to make the state the food basket of the nation while stressing that Osun intends to meet up with the over N3.5 billion worth of food that is in demand in the Lagos market alone. He then charged the farmers to double their efforts so as to justify the huge money the present government is investing in the sector.

Farmers from all the 31 local governments in the state were represented at the show with the farmers displaying various farm produce such as food crops, citrus, tubers of various kinds, poultry as well as cattle products. They also used the occasion to register their support for the second term ambition of the governor.

Highlights of the occasion included the presentation of gifts and cash awards to the winners of the farmers’ competition, which saw Mr. Sule Taiwo from Oriade Local Government emerging as the farmer of the year; Mr. Tunji Ibikunle from Osogbo Local Government in the second position, and Alhaji Safiriyu Aremu from Iwo Local Government claiming the third spot.

In the local government category, the first position went to Oriade Local Government, the second position went to Osogbo Local Government while the Iwo Local Government came third in the competition.