Adeolu Akande In Ado-Awaye, Proffers Solution To Problems Of Agriculture In Oyo State
A gubernatorial aspirant in the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, Prof Adeolu Akande has recommended an agriculture policy focused on provision of food security, job creation, industrialisation and rural development for Oyo State.
He said agriculture can no longer be treated as a standalone item but the epicentre of the development strategy of Oyo State.
He said such approach will help the state to optimally harness the potentials of agriculture for food security, youth employment, rural development, industrialisation and general well-being of the people.
Akande made the plea as the Special Guest of Honour at the commissioning of the Ado Awaye Farm Settlement Scheme today.
The settlement is the initiative of the Ado Awaye community in Iseyin Local Government in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State to create jobs for its youths and expand agriculture productivity.
Prof Akande said the initiative is commendable because it will address some of the key problems of agriculture sector in the country. He recommended the community’s initiative to other towns, saying such effort will complement the efforts of the state government in the areas of agriculture, youth empowerment and community development.
Akande also commended the focus of the settlement on cassava, saying it is high time Oyo State focused on its comparative advantage in cassava production and poultry.
He said: “As the largest producer of Cassava in a country that produces 54 Million Tonnes of Cassava but imports cassava products in excess of N1Trillion annually, Oyo State could double or triple its production to create more wealth for the people of the state”.
He identified problems hindering the potentials of Oyo State in agriculture as including aging farmers, deplorable feeder roads, challenging agriculture extension services and large but incapacitated holding farmers in need of support.
Akande commended the Ajimobi administration for the many initiatives it has taken to address the problems confronting agriculture in the state, noting that dwindling financial allocation from the Federation Account has created more urgent need for more government attention to these areas.
“The incumbent government has been addressing these problems which have become deep-sited because of decades of neglect.” He said the farm settlement strategy will help address some of the problems because it will make provision of agriculture extension services more effective, enhance security against attacks on farmlands and promote cooperatives services for farmers to access financial assistance.
Prof. Akande volunteered to partner the farm settlement in the area of capacity building for its youths through his Adeolu Akande Foundation. He said the Foundation will expose the youths to the opportunities that abound in the agriculture value chain and in equipping them with other necessary competencies like book keeping, marketing and knowledge of and liaison with the international market.
