The Oyo State, Nigeria Community Action For Resilience and Economic Stimulus (Oyo NG-CARES) programme has commenced the fifth phase of its farm input distribution, targeting farmers in Ido Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of Ido Local Government, Hon. Sheriff Adeojo, welcomed the N-CARES team and commended the state government under Governor Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) led by Dr. Debo Akande, and the World Bank for supporting farmers. He noted that Ido is an agrarian community and expressed confidence that the inputs would boost farm yields and food production. He urged beneficiaries to use the items for farming and warned against selling them.
Dr. Ayedun, who represented OYSADA, also addressed the gathering. He conveyed the greetings of Governor Makinde and OYSADA’s Director-General, Dr. Akande. He congratulated the beneficiaries and advised them to make proper use of the materials provided, stressing that the inputs are meant to improve their farming activities and not for sale.
During the program, Mr. Tayo Olatunji, a resource person for capacity building, trained farmers on farm record-keeping and good agricultural practices, particularly for maize production. He also emphasized the need to avoid selling the distributed items.
The Chairman of the Cassava Growers Association of Nigeria, Ido Branch, Chief Basiru Adesiyan, thanked the governor for supporting farmers aduring a challenging period. He appealed to the government to address the broader problems affecting farmers and raised concerns over federal policies on starch importation, which he said could negatively affect cassava farmers nationwide. Chief Adesiyan also praised OYSADA and its partners for providing loans and tractorization subsidies to farmers.
Ido Local Government facilitator, Mrs. Olalekan Sukurat, announced that 190 farmers benefited from this phase of the program. Each farmer received 10kg of hybrid maize seeds, two bottles of herbicides, and 50kg of NPK fertilizer.
The FCA Chairman, Prince Timilehin Ajayi, appreciated the state government for its continuous support. He suggested that future distributions should take place earlier in the year so that farmers can use the inputs at the start of the planting season. He also reminded beneficiaries to put the materials to good use.
The event was attended by N-CARES officials, traditional rulers, political officeholders, representatives of farmers’ associations, and other stakeholders.
Follow us now for more news in Oyo State. Oyo Truth is an independent online news /medium reporting up-to-date events, happenings and activities related to Oyo State, Nigeria.
Leave a Reply