Ogun Speaker tasks Farmers on Importance of Agricultural Value Chain
The Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraju Ishola Adekunbi has underscored the need for residents, particularly farmers to make good use of the comparative advantage the State has in agriculture through extensive farming and agro-allied trade value chain to attract more local and foreign investors.
Adekunbi, said this in his address at a public forum organised by Essebeejay Development Foundation (SBJDF) in Ayetoro, explaining that such practices would control rural-urban migration prevalent in the country and would further develop local economy with a view to providing agricultural produce for consumption and export.
The Speaker, while commending the organizers for devoting their resources to make life more meaningful to the people at the grassroots, explained that the State, through extensive farming and agro-allied trade, had an agricultural based economy, charging residents to tap on the comparative advantage of the area to attract more local and foreign investors.
He assured that the State legislature, under his leadership would continue to evolve legislations aimed at promoting massive socio-economic development, extensive industrial growth and world-class social services to make it retain its pride of place among the comity of States in the country.
Adekunbi appreciated the Senator Ibikunle Amosun led government’s efforts at ensuring socio- economic development of the State as well as all round development of rural areas as demonstrated through the construction of Ayetoro-Abeokuta road, which he noted was geared towards creating enabling environment for more businesses to thrive.
He however appealed for the construction of more rural roads for easy movement of farm produce to market to drive the economic growth at the rural level, advocating for continuous training of farmers in order to avail them of modern day farming skills as well as improved supply of seedlings, promising that the current administration would continue to assist farmers through soft loans, grants and other financial support to further boost their capacity.
In her presentation, the State Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, represented by the Director, Administration and Supplies in the Ministry, Mr Dolamu Idowu- Agida posited that agriculture remained the mainstream of the nation’s economic development, adding that farmers must embrace modern way of farming, cultivation and marketing of their farm produce.
Sokefun, who stated that the present administration had invested massively in the agricultural sector, admonished participants to embrace the opportunity being provided to complement government’s efforts at the grassroots level.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, SBJDF, Seye Bajomo appreciated the efforts of the forebears of the community, who had contributed to the peaceful co-existence and the development of Yewaland and the State, explaining that the programme was aimed at turning around the fortunes of the land through collective empowerment.
Bajomo, who called for collective effort among sons and daughters of Yewaland to foster even development of the district, assured that the foundation was making efforts at developing value-chain in different sectors of the State economy as well as empower farmers and traders through cooperative system for equal benefit and wealth creation.
