Ogun To Benefit From FG’s  Agric Pilot Programmes

 The Ogun State Government has been nominated to benefit from three Federal Government’s agricultural pilot programmes aimed at further positioning the state as the food basket of the country.

Paul Ikonne, Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority(NALDA), disclosed  this when he led the management of the Authority to the office of the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, on Wednesday.

He said  the state would  benefit from the Integrated Farm Estate, Garri Packaging Plant, a training programme on soil testing and extension services for 200 young graduates with science and agriculture related degrees.

According to him, the Integrated Farm Estate would be sited in the three senatorial districts of the state, stressing that each estate would involve everything from production to processing, packaging and marketing.

Ikonne explained that the Garri Processing Plant would give farmers the opportunity of farming with the belief that their efforts will not go to waste.

“We are running programmes and projects which Ogun State has been slated to be one of the pilot states. NALDA’s Integrated Farm Estate is going to be cited in Ogun State in the three senatorial districts of the state. The Integrated Farm Estate is a concept that takes in everything from production to processing, packaging and marketing, we also have residential areas for farmers inside the integrated Farm Estate.

“Knowing that Ogun has the highest capacity in cassava production, our Garri Packaging Plant will be located in the state, thereby NALDA will be the off-taker from the farmers, we process it, package it accordingly and move it into the market.

“We are training young Nigerians based on the President’s directives on soil testing and extension services, so Ogun State is expected to nominate 200 people in the first phase. Again, Ogun is one of the states in the pilot stage of this programme, it will nominate young graduates that have agric or science related degrees that will undertake this intensive two week training.

In his remarks,Governor Abiodun  attributed the success of his administration’s agriculture project to the support of the President Muhammad Buhari administration.

The governor submitted that his administration would also set up a team to look at ways of starting the Garri Packaging Plant in quick time and ensure that the youths and graduates benefit from the training programme on soil testing and extension services.