Oyo collaborates with Dangote on rice production

The Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, on Thursday, disclosed that the State Government Agricultural Initiative (OYSAI) has produced 750 metric tonnes of maize and 865 tonnes of cassava, and that there was collaboration with the Dangote Group for massive rice production.

He added that the state had distributed 7.5 million latest hybrids of cocoa, maize and cashew seedlings to farmers and made provision for extension service delivery to rural farmers.

Governor Ajimobi, speaking at the State Agriculture Investment Summit and Exhibition held at the Conference Centre, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, claimed his administration was focused on the development of agriculture, reiterating that its importance in nation building could not be overemphasidsed.

The governor said the state government had procured 388 tractors and implements for mechanised farming; distributed 10,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer and agro-chemicals yearly at subsidised rates; and established linkages between primary producers and processors, among other things. He said that the summit, with the theme: ‘Transforming Oyo State’s Agriculture and Agro-Allied Industry: Private Sector Participation,’ was very apt at a time that the country was looking for a permanent solution to the problem of food insecurity, unemployment and retarded rural development.