Agriculture: Ogun records high success, plans to grow bio-fortified crops- Abiodun
By Modupe Shodeinde
The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has stated that the State, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges experienced in the last year, recorded high success in the agricultural sector.
The Governor in his New Year address to the state, said Ogun now ranks number one in cassava production nationwide and has plans to “grow bio-fortified crops such as Vitamin Cassava and maize.”
He added that the state also holds number one position in poultry while in the South West, it holds the ace as the number one in rice production.
According to him, the state agricultural programme has made it the food basket of the nation, owing to her contribution to food security, as well as created Agricpreneures amongst youths.
He revealed that the value chain approach has linked 8,500 Ogun indigenes to inputs and credit under the FGN-IFAD-Ogun Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Rice and Cassava value chain while over 70,000 farmers have been registered for different commodities.
“In this year, we will be intensifying focus on nutrition as part of our Agricultural Agenda by assisting and encouraging value chain actors to grow bio-fortified crops, such as Vitamin A cassava and maize. 77
“To further develop capacity, Ogun State has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, to upgrade the Odeda Farm Institute into a Diploma Awarding Research and Training Institution,” he said.
The Governor also expressed assurance that the state would perform better in 2021, and recover some of the lost grounds of the year 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID – 19 pandemic.
