The Ogun Government says it has strengthened farmers’ capacity through mechanisation, financial support, improved market access and climate-smart agricultural practices to boost food security.
Dr Angel Adelaja-Kuye, the Special Adviser to Gov. Dapo Abiodun on Agriculture and Food Security, said this on Friday in Abeokuta.
Adelaja-Kuye said the initiatives were aimed at building a structured and sustainable food system capable of addressing emerging agricultural challenges.
She said the state had, over the past eight years, invested in agricultural programmes and infrastructure to improve farmers’ productivity and livelihoods.
She listed the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) as initiatives introduced to strengthen the agricultural sector.
The government had also invested in rural road development, farm processing facilities, mechanisation and an agro-cargo airport to improve access to local and international markets, she said.
Adelaja-Kuye said the provision of tractors and other mechanised equipment had improved farming activities, while investments in processing infrastructure were helping farmers add value to their produce.
She said the state government was also strengthening agricultural extension services to ensure farmers received timely weather information and adopted climate-smart farming techniques.
“Farmers cannot rely on hopes and prayers; they must make informed decisions using weather information and forecasts.
“We ensure our extension officers receive weather forecasts and use technology to share the information with farmers so they can prepare ahead of the planting season and protect their crops,” she said.
Adelaja-Kuye said the state was partnering with relevant federal agencies to ensure farmers had access to reliable weather information for effective planning.
She added that the government was promoting agricultural insurance to protect farmers against losses caused by unforeseen circumstances.
The initiative would ensure farmers were compensated when adverse events affected their agricultural investments, she said.
Adelaja-Kuye said the government was committed to training farmers in good agricultural practices, noting that poor methods and avoidable production costs could eventually drive up food prices.
“We want to reduce food prices, and we thank God that food prices in Ogun have come down over the past eight years.
“People have been able to buy more food, while we are seeing year-round availability of products such as tomatoes because farmers are being taught to adopt proactive agricultural practices,” she said.
She said the government’s interventions were designed to make agriculture more attractive, increase food production and ensure a sustainable food supply across the state.
