Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina has disclosed that the African Development Bank (AfDB), has enlisted Ogun state as a special agricultural processing zone to revive all aspects of agricultural value chain, especially in aquaculture.
This disclosure was made when the commissioner led the management team of the Ministry of Agriculture to Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction (IDIPR), Farm Village, Eriwe in Ijebu-Ode Local government area of the state. He also described the project as the largest fish farm cluster in Africa.
Odedina equally hinted that the present administration in the state is determine to revive agriculture by providing support to small holder farmers, creating jobs and promoting investment.
According to him, COVID-19 has crippled many jobs, necessitating the reformation of the state’s agriculture agenda, for employment generation, as well as food security. He added that his ministry was ready to render free extension services to farmers to enable them have access to more land in order to boost aquaculture farming in the state.
In his words : “COVID-19 has made us to reset our agenda in agriculture. Coronavirus is driving people from white collar job to agriculture. Fish farming is one of the sectors we have identified that can absorb people who have been dislodged due to the corona virus pandemic. We are also here to give free supplementary extension services to fish farmers all the time”.
The Chairman, Governing Council, IDIPR, Prof. Olanipekun Alausa, disclosed that the Farm Village was a registered community-based Non-Governmental Organisation, established to fight poverty in the areas of enterprise development, micro-finance, youth development, as well as medical and health programs.
