Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Friday said his administration is committing N8 billion for the acquisition of tractors and farm clearing equipment with another N2 billion worth of farm input support to boost food production in the state.
He stated this at the Agricultural input supply unit (AISU), Ede, while unveiling 31 tractors purchased to boost agriculture in the state.
He said, “we are distributing 6,000 herbicides, 80,000 cashew seedlings, 8,000 cassava cuttings, 8,000 various vegetable seeds and 500 bags of lime to our farmers, women associations, people with disabilities and government schools with large farmlands.
“We are equally unveiling 31 newly purchased tractors with full implements for the use of our farmers in Osun State which is the first phase of this project. These tractors will be released to farmers cooperative societies and associations after all necessary administrative procedures have been concluded.
“I also wish to inform the public that the state is committing N8 billion for the acquisition of tractors and farm clearing equipment within the context of due process and another N2 billion worth of farm input support,” Adeleke said.
In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Tola Faseru, disclosed that the tractors will be distributed on Public Private Partnership among Farmers Associations, Youths, Women and People with Disabilities (PWD) and others for their farm operations.
He disclosed that the governor would present a cheque of N8.6 million to each poultry farmer participating in the Osun Broiler Outgrower Production Scheme (OBOPS), and each of them is sponsored to raise 2,000 day-old broiler birds to table size within six weeks and the cycle will be repeated continuously and the off taker will buy back from each farmer.
“We now have herbicides, cashew seedlings, cassava cuttings, various vegetable seeds, bags of lime and others, for free distribution to Osun farmers. It will interest you to hear that all Primary and Secondary Schools will be empowered with vegetables and arable seeds for planting after their resumption by September, 2024 and make them inclusive in the food security value chain,” Faseru added.