Ogun distributes irrigation equipment to farmers
The Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Bolu Owotomo, has reiterated the state government’s commitment to enhancing all-year-round farming to boost food production and cut down on skyrocketing prices of food.
Mr Owotomo stated that the National Bureau of Statistics had already said that the state now has the lowest food inflation rate in the country saying that this only attested to the fact that the investment of the present administration in tackling food insecurity challenge is yielding good results
The Commissioner stated this on Wednesday during the distribution of 100 pumping machines and other irrigation equipment to farmers’ groups across the four zones in Ogun to enhance food production and tackle the challenge of climate change
The intervention is said to be made possible through the World Bank supported Ogun State Economic Transformation Project in collaboration with the state Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Owotomo said that the kind gesture underscored Gov Abiodun’s proactive measures to ensure food security while also creating an enabling environment for farmers in the state to thrive despite climate change.
Owotomo urged the beneficiaries of various government’s support and training to also help in knowledge transfer to those who are yet to be captured so as not to leave anybody behind.
He explained that, “This is another proactive step of our visionary governor, Dapo Abiodun, to ensure that our farmers practice all-season farming, knowing that there are a lot of climate change issues coming up
“With this water pump that has been distributed to all farmers today, it will ensure that they can plan all year round rather than waiting for rain-fed farming, so definitely this will improve the yield and productivity of farmers and thereby enhance their livelihood.
“For those who have benefitted from government’s various interventions and support, we call upon them not just to use these resources all alone but they should embrace knowledge transfer; they should also share all these assets with other members who couldn’t benefit directly.
“The report of the National Bureau of Statistics just said that the lowest state of food inflation rate was recorded in Ogun State, so definitely, we have been able to see the impact of the laudable programmes of Gov Abiodun translating into improved productivity and enhance livelihood of farmers in the state”.
Also speaking the OGSTEP Project Coordinator, Mrs Mosun Owo-Odusi, declared that the distribution of water pumping and irrigation equipment reinforces the commitment and support the government in ensuring an improved livelihood of farmers.
Owo-Odusi maintained that the state government is ready to support farmers in tackling climate change and is ready for the upliftment of farmers for food security in the state.
Appreciating the government’s support on behalf of all the farmers clusters in the state, Adekanbi Usman from Ipokia on behalf of the farmers in the state commended Gov Abiodun and OGSTEP for their deliberate efforts to make farming more lucrative and productive through several interventions and support assuring that equipment provided will be put to good use to enhance food sufficiency in the country.
Credit- Punch
