The Oyo State Government in July 2017 announced the receipt of 25 metric tonnes of fertiliser and rice seedlings from the Dangote Group for distribution to 292 rice farmers in the state.
According to a statement signed by the then Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun, distribution of the agricultural inputs was scheduled to commence on Wednesday, July 19, 2017.
The inputs were provided under the Dangote Rice Outgrower Scheme, being implemented in partnership with the Oyo State Government through the Oyo State Agricultural Initiative, AgricOyo.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi had earlier announced the initiative during the official launch of the WAMCO Milk Collection Centre in Saki in June 2017.
Receiving the agricultural inputs on behalf of the state government at the OYSADEP warehouse in Saki, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Hon. Fajimi Shakirullahi, disclosed that about 800 bags of fertiliser had also been delivered to a warehouse in Awe for farmers in the area.
Fajimi said the remaining inputs were intended for farmers in the Oke-Ogun area, where about 500 hectares of farmland had been earmarked for the pilot phase of the rice project.
He added that the farmland was expected to increase to about 6,000 hectares in the following farming season, subject to the progress of the programme.
Addressing concerns about the distribution of the inputs, Fajimi assured that registered farmers would be the beneficiaries of the initiative.
“Farmers who registered with government will benefit from this gesture. We know them, we have been meeting with them and they will surely benefit,” he said.
Explaining how the outgrower arrangement would work, the governor’s aide said participating farmers would receive fertiliser and other inputs to support rice cultivation, while Dangote would assist with the purchase of their produce as an off-taker.
“The programme is an outgrowers scheme between the Dangote Group of Companies and the Oyo State Government, whereby the farmers will plant rice with the fertilizers given to them free of charge and Dangote Group will further assist in buying up the produce from them, serving as the off-takers between the farmers and the market,” Fajimi said.
He urged participating farmers to take advantage of the arrangement and increase their efforts in rice production, noting that the programme was designed to provide them with access to a ready market for their produce.
Fajimi further assured farmers that the state government would continue to support agricultural development as part of its efforts to improve food production and attract investment into the sector.
He identified rice, poultry and other agricultural activities as areas expected to benefit from the administration’s agricultural policies and its efforts to create a favourable environment for investors.
0 Comments