In line with its agricultural revolution agenda, the Engineer Seyi Makinde-led government in Oyo State has flagged-off training on agribusiness.
The training programme is in collaboration with the federal government supported Rural Finance Institution-Building (RUFIN).
The programme was held at Akinyele Local Government, Ibadan on Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Ojemuyiwa Ojekunle, said that the training programme was in line with governor Makinde’s agricultural revolution agenda, which aims to industrialize Oyo State’s economy.
He disclosed that the agribusiness training was prompted by the swift payment of the state’s counterpart fund by Governor Seyi Makinde.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Coordinating Director, Dr. Peter Adegunwa, while delivering his speech at the flag off ceremony, stated that efforts would be geared towards easy transformation of farm produce into cash with little efforts, adding that more jobs would be created through the value chain to reduce rural-urban migration.
Ojemuyiwa disclosed that farmers across the state work tirelessly every year with little to show for their efforts as a result of lack of adequate markets to absorb the high farm produce especially at peak periods of harvest.
Hon. Ojemuyiwa stressed that the first phase of the training is to build human capacity of all participants, after which is the empowerment to engage the people productively while developing the economy further.
The commissioner also opined that the Silo project which is to store up farm produce will be completed for the state government buffer programme.
He, however, charged participants to pay rapt attention to the training in order to become productive members of the society after the training.
Ojemuyiwa also charged the training consultants to adhere strictly to the terms of agreement.
RUFIN State Project Coordinator, comrade Olushola Ogundiran, who is also one of labour leaders in Oyo State, in his brief remark thanked Governor Seyi Makinde for his proactive approach to governance which has led to several unprecedented and ground breaking achievements.
Comrade Ogundiran particularly expressed his joy at the synergy between the RUFIN and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development under the leadership of Hon. Ojemuyiwa, which led to the berth of the first phase of the training programme.
He stated that the programme is meant to create jobs, reduce poverty, reduce rural-urban migration, and to create economic prosperity for the state.
Some of the products of the training include high quality iru (locust beans), semo, corn starch, odourless fufu powder, tapioca, cassava chips, potato chips, cashew nuts, tumeric and ginger powder.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
