A community driven agricultural empowerment programme which is targeted at empowering over 1000 youths in cassava planting and other value chain took off over the weekend at Oke Arowa, via Ago Iwoye in Ijebu North local government area of the state.
The agric empowerment programme is being coordinated by Ifelodun Community Association which has four communities of Ago Iwoye, Oru, Awa and Ilaporu as members.
The brain behind the initiative and an indigine of Ago Iwoye, Engr Segun Kaka disclosed that the aim of the programme is to latch on the abundant opportunities in agricbusiness to fight poverty, hunger and unemployment among the teeming youths in Ijebu North local government.
Engr Segun Kaka revealed that for the pilot scheme of the farming project at Oke Arowa village near Mamu Ijebu, 50 hectares of land has been provided for the first 100 participants to cultivate high yielding cassava while all the necessary farming inputs such as the cassava stems, fertilizer, pesticides including tractors for the clearing of the land have all been provided.
He said the programme which is in partnership with Ogun State government and Ifelodun Community Association is targeting at least 1000 young farmers and that four other locations within Ifelodun Community Association have been marked out for the programme.
Segun Kaka, a chieftain of the ruling party, APC said "this is just an opportunity to reap from the fat dividends of investment in agricbusiness, cassava is now a cashcow, it's one crop that is making our farmers to smile to bank nowadays.
"I sincerely appeal to our youth to embrace this agric empowerment initiative, all that are needed for the success of the programme have been provided, even the off takers, that is, the buyers are on ground already. Our intention is to make Ago Iwoye and its environs the highest producer of cassava in the country".
Engr Kaka thanked the leadership of Gov Dapo Abiodun for his massive investment in agriculture and for giving his approval for the take off of the agric empowerment project saying that the governor has no doubt shown great commitment to revolutionising this critical sector of our economy.
The Chairman of the farming project, Mr Adekunle Ogundipe lauded Engr Segun Kaka for being the proponent of the brilliant idea saying that the initiative would surely redefine cassava farming in the area while also assisting to take off many youths off the street
Mr Ogundipe has therefore called on the people in the area to embrace the initiative and work towards its success.
The immediate past Commissioner for Environment in the state, Hon Abiodun Abudu-Balogun who was also at event described the agric empowerment initiative as very commendable urging the people to take the advantage of the programme to boost their farming business and improve their finances among others.
No comments:
Post a Comment