Amosun commissions farm equipment

Governor Amosun testing out one of the equipment

Governor Amosun testing out one of the agric equipment


Abiodun Onafuye/ Abeokuta

Senator Ibikunle Amosun, governor of Ogun state,southwest Nigeria, today commissioned some farming implements worth about five hundred million naira at the Arcade ground, Oke Mosan,Abeokuta, the state capital.

In the pack are bulldozers, tractors and other implements meant to boost farming in the state.

Speaking at the commissioning which was witnessed by farmers and other stakeholders in the state, Amosun said the government decided to buy the equipment in order to make Ogun state the food basket of the nation and check rural urban migration.

Governor Amosun testing out one of the equipment
Governor Amosun testing out one of the equipment

According to him, “when our administration came on board in May 2011, the state could not boast of 10 functional tractors. The situation was further worsened by the non-availability of agricultural land breaking equipment, without which farm expansion is not possible, particularly considering the peculiarity of our vegetation in the South-Western part of our country. We equally realised that the high cost of land clearing is a major constraint to increased agricultural production,this is further compounded by the declining farm labour market in the rural areas”.

According to him, the multi-faceted problems, “consequently limited our farmers to subsistence level of production, thereby discouraging our youths from taking farming as a business. In addition to this, we also realised that there is an urgent need to tackle the challenge posed by ageing farming population and make farming attractive to the younger
generation. This will help to tame the current trend of Rural-Urban migration”.

The farming equipment will be rented out to the farmers at a moderate rate.The equipment include, four CAT bulldozers, 30 MF 275 Xtra tractors, 33 Baldan Disc Ploughs, 15 Baldan Disc Harrows, 2 Baldan Rotary Slashers, and 2
Baldan 4 Row–Planters.

“The rate for hiring this equipment for land clearing and preparation has been subsidised so as to create a relief to our farmers. I wish to further announce a 10% subsidy on the hiring rate of the equipment for the benefit of our farmers and also as part of our administration’s determination to sustain the operation of these equipment”, the
governor disclosed.

He further enumerated some of the steps taken by the present administration to resuscitate some of the farm settlements and
establishment of model farm estates.

“Model farm estate will commence soon in Owowo town in Ogun Central Senatorial District of the state. The first set of participants will be admitted before May 2013, provisions have also been made in this year’s budget for the replication of similar projects in the other two Senatorial Districts of the state”.

“Rehabilitation of three government owned fish farms located at Ilaro, Odeda and Ikenne has been completed. Prior to this rehabilitation, these farms had been abandoned. Presently, fish production activities on these farms have commenced,government has rehabilitated the state government Central Feed depot at Kotopo. The essence of this is to
stabilize the cost of livestock feeds in the market. Our Administration has equally disbursed agricultural loans to over a
thousand farmers in the state in the first phase of disbursement under the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme, we are about to commence the next phase of the scheme”,Amosun declared.

Alake of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo, Ogun governor, his deputy at the cutting of the tape
Alake of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo, Ogun governor, his deputy at the cutting of the tape

In her welcome address, the Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun said the government decided to procure the equipment to bridge the gap and sustainably produce enough food for the growing population and industrial development.

The Commissioner said,”our Ministry will continue to make efforts towards achieving self- sufficiency in agricultural production by stimulating the production of food of both plant and animal origins through the production and distribution of improved seeds and seedlings, improved livestock breed, fish and fingerlings”.

While soliciting for the optimum use of the implements and the support from both the public and private sectors in the mission to rebuild the state agricultural sector, Sokefun boasted that,”we can generate market surplus and adequately feed the growing agro based industries in the country”.

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