Youths hate farming — Ajimobi

Youths hate farming —Ajimobi 24 Aug 2015 12:07 AM  The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, said some of the farm settlements established by the state government were deserted because of the lack of interest in agriculture by youths in the state. Ajimobi, who addressed representatives of AFGRI at the government secretariat at the weekend, said the state was positioned to become the food basket of the nation because of its agrarian population and arable land mass. AFGRI is a leading South African agriculture firm which has presence in many parts of the world. The company’s representatives visited Ajimobi to discuss the mode of partnership with the state government. Ajimobi said, “Before this government came in, we have nine farm settlements where we practised farming. But some of these settlements have been deserted due to lack of interest. What we are doing now is to concentrate on agriculture because of its multiplier effect. It creates employment and provides food security. Apart from these, it allows for safe society, because when the people are busy and well fed, they will not involve themselves in violence.” The governor told the representatives of the company, headed by its Managing Director for Africa, Tommi Snyman, and its Operation Manager, Peter Griesel, that the state would be interested in a partnership that would ensure mass employment and training of its people. He also pointed out that about 60 per cent of agricultural produce in the state rot away because of lack of modern storage facility, poor handling, processing and transportation. “In terms of agriculture, the state is the largest producer of cassava in West Africa. It ranks 5th in maize production. In grain production, the state is among the top-ranked states. You are coming to a state that is well positioned to partner your organisation. Our objective is to become the food basket of the country. When you look at the geography of Nigeria, Oyo State has the largest land mass in the southern part. This buttresses the fact that the state is well positioned to excel in agriculture. “For commercial reason and value chain addition, we will be interested in partnering with your company. Our approach is to do a bottom-top system that will involve our people. Research has shown that only about 40 per cent of our farm produce gets to the market, others are destroyed for lack of proper handling, processing, transportation and modern storage facility.” Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@punchng.com