Why GAP must be adopted in farming

Farmers, especially women and youths, have been advised to adopt good agricultural practices (GAP) in the cultivation of improved varieties of crops so as to guarantee more yield per hectare. The Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olasunkanmi Olaleye gave the charged while declaring open a one-day train-the-trainers workshop, organised by the state government in collaboration with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat, Ibadan.

No fewer than 165 women and youth farmers were trained on the cultivation, pest control and processing of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP), Vitamin A Cassava and Vitamin A maize. Olaleye, while speaking, said that the training on the three staple foods would enhance quality nutrition and value addition. He enjoined farmers to embrace improved varieties of cassava stems as they have enormous benefits and give more yield per hectare. He restated the efforts of the state government on Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) initiatives on the distribution of 400kg of maize grains to each poultry farmer in the state where 2,665 farmers have benefited. The commissioner said that 1,000 fish farmers across the state also received fish feeds while 100kg of palm kernel cake (PKC) and two bottles of disinfectants would be given to 1,000 pig farmers each.

The Head of Policy, Advocacy and Communication of GAIN, Joyce Akpata, appreciated and commended the Oyo State Government for creating a conducive environment to operate in the state. She said that GAIN had been operating in four local government areas in the state, but due to efforts of the present government, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, the opportunity had been extended to the 33 local governments in the state. Akpata said that the move would increase the nutrition intake of the citizen through massive production. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Christiana Abioye, said that the programme was another milestone in the history of the ministry in a time like this when the whole country was passing through hard times in terms of food scarcity and hunger while appreciating the government for supporting the farmers, noting that cassava production in the country require good agronomic practices for high yield.