Poultry farmers have been asked to key into active maize planting to address the problem of grain shortage facing the sector. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security in Ogun State, Bolu Owotomo, who gave the advice at a meeting with members of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PANOG), Ogun State Chapter, noted that challenges in the sector were not peculiar to the state, hence the need for all stakeholders to look inward for solutions.
While assuring them that government was working on modalities to boost poultry farming, the commissioner advised them to venture into other agricultural sub-sectors to maximise their output. He also assured that the government would continue to harness the vast arable farmlands to revitalise agriculture, ensure food sufficiency and economic prosperity for the people. The Chairman of PANOG, Owode, Alhaji Yinka Lawal, commended government for releasing maize to the association at subsidised rate, calling for more collaborations to leverage agricultural potentials. The commissioner also emphasised the need to maximise the potentials of the rubber sub-sector to strengthen the economy, boost employment opportunities and enhance foreign exchange earnings.
Owotomo made this known at a meeting with the Managing Director, Divine Vision Cash Crop Farmers Limited, Evang. Oluwatosin Jeremiah, and the Chairman, National Rubber Producers Processors and Marketing Association, Ogun State Chapter, Mr. Oladele MacDaniel, in his in Abeokuta. He said rubber production contributes significantly to the economy by providing job opportunities and raw materials for agro-based industries, explaining that Ilushin Rubber Estate in the Ogun Waterside Local Government Area was undergoing re-organisation to set the pace for rubber production in the state.
Similarly, the National Directorate of Empowerment (NDE) has disbursed N50,000 each to 48 youths to start off farm businesses and employ others to reduce unemployment in Borno State. The Director-General of the NDE, Malam Abubakar Fikpo, disclosed this during the flag off of the Community-Based Agricultural Empowerment Scheme (CBAES) in Maiduguri. Represented by the state Coordinator of the NDE, Mohammed Galadima, the DG said the beneficiaries were drawn from the pool of Rural Employment Promotion (REP) and trained in their chosen areas of interest.
“First, you have been trained in modern agriculture and life skills to be able to overcome the challenges of your immediate environment. Secondly, the facility you are receiving today provides you with the required assistance for entrepreneurship. You should, therefore, justify these efforts by utilising the facility and putting in your best to succeed as agric entrepreneurs”, he said. The Director-General also reaffirmed the NDE’s commitment to continue to do its best in addressing the challenges of unemployment in the country. The representative of the CBAES Department from Abuja, Hauwa Ibrahim, urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the facility and become successful entrepreneurs in the country.
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