By Ademola Ade
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has unveiled an agricultural support package for 10,000 rice and cassava farmers, including subsidised fertilisers, herbicides and improved planting materials, alongside the distribution of 10 tractors, other farm equipment and 1,200 Android phones.
The interventions, announced at the 2026 World Food Day celebration held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, are aimed at boosting food production, improving farmers’ productivity and strengthening food security.
The celebration had the theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.”
Under the support scheme, 2,000 rice farmers and 8,000 cassava farmers will each receive two bags of fertiliser and one bag of urea. Rice farmers will also get three litres of herbicide each, while cassava farmers will receive 10 litres of herbicide and 25 bundles of cassava stems per beneficiary.
Abiodun said the distribution of 1,200 Android phones, equipped with applications providing weather forecasts, market prices and information on improved farming practices, would give farmers timely information to make better production decisions and connect with markets.
He added that the 10 tractors and other agricultural equipment would support farm settlements and farmers’ associations across the state, promote mechanised farming, reduce production costs and increase output.
The governor said his administration was committed to transforming agriculture into a profitable, technology-driven sector capable of creating jobs, attracting investment and strengthening Ogun’s contribution to national food security.
“We established the Ogun State Agricultural Land Management Agency (OSALMA) to facilitate access to land and promote a responsible and inclusive framework for land-intensive agricultural investment,” he said.
Abiodun disclosed that his administration had completed 28 agricultural projects in the past two years across crop production, aquaculture and poultry, with investments in processing, storage, mechanisation and other critical infrastructure.
The projects, he said, included solar dryers, warehouses, cassava processing centres and a poultry processing plant at Ajegunle Farm Settlement in Odeda Local Government Area.
According to him, the poultry processing facility can process 5,000 birds daily, equivalent to about 1.3 million birds annually.
He also disclosed that the state had procured 39 tractors, four self-propelled harvesters and other agricultural equipment to expand mechanisation and ease the burden of manual farming.
On youth empowerment, Abiodun said more than 200 young people had recently received training in soilless farming through a partnership with Soilless Farm Lab, with start-up support provided to help them establish agricultural businesses.
He explained that the administration’s agricultural policy focused on expanding local processing, retaining more value within the state’s economy and creating jobs across the agricultural value chain.
“Our goal is to process more locally, retain greater value and create more jobs. We seek partnerships that create jobs, transfer knowledge, empower farmers and develop local capacity,” the governor said.
He urged investors to explore opportunities in commercial farming, agro-processing, livestock production, aquaculture, mechanisation, irrigation, storage and cold-chain facilities, assuring them of the state government’s readiness to support responsible agricultural investments.
Abiodun said his administration was working towards an agricultural economy in which farming would be profitable, agribusinesses would thrive and rural communities would prosper.
He also highlighted the Ogun State Farmer Information Management System, launched in April 2023, which he said had captured more than 160,000 farmers and other agricultural value-chain actors.
According to him, the platform would support evidence-based policymaking, improve the targeting of agricultural interventions and help ensure that assistance reached intended beneficiaries.
The governor further disclosed that agribusiness firms had purchased more than 283,000 tonnes of agricultural produce under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP).
“Farmers organised into clusters also received capacity-building support and connections to off-takers. These measures have helped turn increased production into dependable income,” he said.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for efforts to strengthen local fertiliser production and improve farmers’ access to essential agricultural inputs.
The governor also acknowledged the contributions of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to initiatives supporting women farmers, pledging that his administration would continue to complement federal agricultural programmes through targeted interventions, responsible investments and stronger market linkages.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, described World Food Day as a reminder that access to nutritious and affordable food was fundamental to human dignity and sustainable development.
Owotomo said innovation was critical to building a resilient food system, calling for increased investment in women and young people through improved access to land, finance, training, technology and viable agribusiness opportunities.
He disclosed that more than 12,000 farmers had benefited from training and agricultural inputs under OGSTEP.
According to the commissioner, the latest interventions focused on three areas: digital empowerment through Android phones, mechanisation support through agricultural equipment, and subsidised farm inputs for 2,000 rice farmers and 8,000 cassava farmers.
He explained that the input support scheme operated under a cost-sharing arrangement, with beneficiaries contributing 30 per cent of the cost, depending on the category, while the government covered the remaining 70 per cent through its partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
In his keynote address, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Professor Kolawole Adebayo, said Ogun occupied a strategic position in Nigeria’s food system because of its agricultural potential and proximity to major consumer markets.
Adebayo said the state’s 1.2 million hectares of arable land offered significant opportunities for agro-industrial investment, stressing the need for forward-looking policies and sustained commitment to innovations capable of delivering lasting benefits.
He called for an integrated transport network linking rail, road, water and air transport to facilitate the movement of agricultural produce, preserve product quality and reduce post-harvest losses.
The professor commended the state government for developing agro-industrial processing zones, improving land-clearing services for smallholder farmers and expanding access to agricultural inputs.
He also identified the Farmer Information Management System and the establishment of the Nigerian Food Bank in Ogun State as initiatives capable of strengthening the state’s contribution to national food security.
The National Programme Coordinator of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones Programme, Dr Kabiru Yusuf, represented by the National Agriculture Expert, Dr Louis Enaberue, commended Abiodun for supporting the agricultural sector.
He urged beneficiaries to make effective use of the equipment and farm inputs provided to improve productivity.
Similarly, the South-West Coordinator of the Commodity Farmers Association of Nigeria, Prince Segun Dasaolu, acknowledged the government’s interventions, saying they were helping to strengthen agricultural development and support farmers across the region.
Speaking on behalf of farm settlers across the state, Rotimi Sogunle thanked the governor for supporting farming communities and described OGSTEP as a significant intervention in Ogun’s agricultural sector.
The celebration featured the symbolic presentation of tractors, agricultural equipment, Android phones, fertilisers, herbicides and other farm inputs to beneficiaries.
