The Kogi State Government has pledged that it would encourage investors in the agriculture sector to establish processing plants in the state to provide employment.
It said this would make the farmers in the state key players in the agricultural value chain, just as it announced the setting up of a Technical Committee to take stock of all the tractors procured and handed over to Local Government Areas in the state.
“The Governor therefore urged the technical committee comprising the Commissioner for Agriculture, the State Auditor-General and the Auditor-General for Local Governments to take stock and report the status of all farm equipment, particularly mechanised tractors, to the government, ” the statement sid
Governor Ododo said his administration will commence clearing hectares of land for farming across the state while also providing improved seedlings for better yield in the next farming season.
The state Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo revealed this in a statement by his spokesperson Ismaila Isah issued on Wednesday in Lokoja, the state capital.
He said the governor who expressed commitment to the primary off-taker of farm produce in the state, added the state government procured farm implements to be put to use by farmers in the past but the feedback from farmers indicate that more needs to be done for farmers in this regard.
The statement noted that the governor alongside key officials of the administration met with members of the All Farmer’s Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector value chain and deliberated on the pathway towards a more prosperous and sustainable agricultural practices in the State as it relates to concerns over food security and other economic challenges in the country.
Isah said “the stakeholders’ meeting led to key resolutions where Governor Ododo outlined practical measures to address some of the identified challenges as he assured of the resolve of the Kogi State Government to ensure that the state emerges top in agricultural outputs.
The statement said the Governor announced other interventions in agriculture which include granting direct access to subsidised farm inputs such as fertilizers to farmers in the state.
He said the governor urged the farmer’s association to create a robust and comprehensive database, through which farmers can receive interventions directly and without interference from middlemen.