By Editor
In it’s determined efforts to ensure food security and barnish hunger in the land, the Ekiti State Government has embarked on an aggressive Agriculture policy drive aimed at drawing many people into farming to boost food production and creating sustainable growth in agriculture value chain.
The policy document which was ratified during the State ex-co meeting on Friday presided by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, was made known to the public by Honourable Commissioner for Information Chief Taiwo Olatubosun.
The council has graciously approved the Incorporation of a new State owned entity, – Ilu Eye Agro-Trading & Aggregation Company Ltd.with a minimum share capital of N2Billion.
According to Olatubosun, the coming on board of the new corporate body followed a State Executive Council meeting held in March this year where the Council had set up a Food Security Committee under the chairmanship of the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Ebenezer Boluwade.
According to the Information Commissioner, one of the key recommendations from the committee was that the state-should-set- up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to buy back and aggregate agricultural products from the farmers during harvest period, store and sell them later to the populace through a structured process, thus, the establishment of Ilu Eye Agro Trading and Aggregation Company Limited.
In the press statement, it was revealed that the company is a commodity aggregation entity established to support the state investment at the upstream through a well-structured downstream operations and will be responsible to the buyback of some selected agricultural commodities like rice paddy, beans, maize, garri and palm oil from the farmsteads across the State. This will prevent the activities of middlemen who usually come from outside the State to rip off the farmers.
Again, the company will buy agricultural commodities during the harvest, store in a good atmospheric condition and make it available to the special food markets that will be created in the State during the off season as a means of helping the State to bend the food inflation curve.
However, The State-owned company, duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission will be managed by the State Government, with plans to open up opportunities for private sector participation in the nearest future.
In a related development, additional N234,468,218.50 has been earmarked for the construction of six security houses and renovation of two existing buildings as security houses at some selected farm settlements in the State as government sees agriculture as valuable businesses that attract theft and vandalism, given their remote locations in order to safeguard farmers and their livelihood.
The contract to be awarded to Samuel Animawun Limited is to be executed within three months.
Other incentives provided by the government for the next planting season included a N264,800,000.00 for land clearing to support youth in agriculture and the exercise will involve clearing of 200 hectares of land for some interested youths in Ado and Ekiti-West Local Governments, with both the State and the Local Governments splitting the cost evenly at the sum of N132,400,000.00.
This was, in addition to another N2,350,000,000.00 for clearing of 1000ha of land to support Youth In Agriculture programme and specific communities/ cooperatives for dry season farming, an initiative designed to increase agricultural production, revolutionize and boost economic potential through youth engagement at various locations across the State.
It would be recalled that since the inception of the present Administration, farmers and youths’ interest have increased significantly with demands for farmland allocation and the challenge to increased agricultural production through mechanized farming is land clearing. This is due to the enormous financial and technical interventions of the State Government which is usually beyond the capacity of average farmers.
The State Government is desirous of relieving famers, particularly the youths the cost of opening- up of more lands, which will serve as huge incentives towards achieving food security. This exercise will further make agricultural production more attractive and profitable in the State.
In a similar vein, approval was given for 23 Vendors to complete the job in three months to facilitate planting of crop in the current year at various locations including Aramoko, Ogbese (Ado), Ise, lyenero, Ikere, Oke Ako, Youth out of Poverty in Moba, Igbara Odo/Ogotun LCDA, Gospel Faith Mission, Ilawe Rd, Araromi Oke, Alasi & Ayinku, Orin Farm Settlement, Ipere, ljesa-Isu, Emure, ljan rood, Itapaji, škole and lyernero
