The Oyo State House of Assembly has decried the high cost of buying, hiring and getting agricultural inputs and called on the State Government to increase its support for farmers across the State as they cultivate more hectares of lands for late rain and dry season farming.
This is just as the State Legislature appealed to the State Government through the Agric Credit Corporation (ACCOS) and the Oyo State Agribusiness Agency to assist farmers with loan facilities to boost their farming activities and economic capacity.
The appeal was contained in the resolutions made by the House while deliberating on a Motion brought before it by member representing, Oriire State Constituency, Hon Jacob Abidoye Bamigboye.
The motion was on the need for Oyo State Government to increase support for farmers in Agrarian communities as they prepare for late rain/dry season farming.
According to Hon Bamigboye, the fear of unknown in terms of insecurity, destruction of farmlands by Fulani herders among others made farmers to either cultivate small hectares of land or abandon their farms at the onset of the raining season.
He added that this was the time to map out more ways of supporting and encouraging farmers across the State so as to ensure food security, enhance bumper harvest and ultimately help in reducing prices of foodstuffs in the markets.
The Speaker, while also stressing the vital need for more Government assistance to farmers in Oyo State, announced the composition of an adhoc Committee to furnish the House with activities of various agencies responsible for giving support and loan facilities to farmers in the State.
In their contributions, Hon Asimiyu Alarape (Minority Leader) , Hon
Olamide Olagoke Akinajo (Ibadan North East 1) and Deacon Olatunde Kehinde (Akinyele 2) emphasized the need to encourage millions of farmers in the State to go into Mechanized farming but stressed that the cost of getting and hiring tractors and other farm inputs is beyond the reach of most farmers hence they appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to come to the aid of farmers.
They equally enjoined the Local Government Councils in the State to extend all necessary support to farmers in their various communities.
While lending their voices to the matter, Hon Simeon Oyeleke (Ogo-Oluwa, Surulere) and Hon Seyi Adisa called for prompt and early release of loans and other support to farmers in the State, while also urging the State Government to extend support to all categories of farmers across the State.
