Food security: Rural roads rehabilitation, research funding, necessary to achieve zero hunger — Akeredolu

Ondo State governor Mr Rotimi Akeredolu has said his administration has embarked on policies to achieve zero hunger in the state by introducing schemes that would empower and encourage youths in the state to embrace farming in the state.

Akeredolu who stated this at World Food Day event with the theme, ‘Our Actions Are Our Future, Healthy Diets for
a Zero Hunger World’ at the trade fair complex in Akure, the state capital, said his administration will continue to identify with farmers by constructing rural roads, rehabilitate the existing ones to encourage farmers.

The governor, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Chief Olugbenga Ale, assured that farmers whose farms were affected by the flooding would be assisted financially to help them in the dry season farming.

Speaking at the event, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agric and Agribusiness, Mr Akin Olotu charged the Federal Government to reintroduce rural roads rehabilitation project and assist state government in construction
of rural roads to allow free movement of farm inputs and produce, saying this would go a long way to enhance the production scale and revenue generation.

Olotu, who called on government to adequately fund research institutes for improved seedlings and methodologies in
scaling up the value chains, also tasked academics to ensure the funds meant for research are not diverted or misappropriated.

He called on National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the aid of rice farmers whose farms were affected by flooding recently to cushion the effects of the disaster.

He said the present administration in the state is determined to boost agricultural production in the state, by giving loans to commodity associations, disclosing that over N200 million has been injected into poultry farming scheme.

“Tree crops cultivation was encouraged for more revenue generation as seedlings of cocoa and oil palm were distributed free to farmers in the state. “This was also extended to secondary schools in the state through the distribution of improved cashew, oil palm seedlings under the Schools-On-The-Ridges programme “The government has also ordered 30,000 improved oil palm sprouted nuts from Palm Elite(CIRAD) France to assist small scale farmers and shore up production.

“Renovation and utilisation of all the Agro Business Centres for training of youths in agriculture has commenced while ore centre is under a Public/Private partnership arrangement,” he said.