By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State Governor, has unveiled a comprehensive support package for 10,000 rice and cassava farmers to boost food production and strengthen food security in the state.
Abiodun announced the interventions on Friday at the 2026 World Food Day celebration held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, with the theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.”
The package includes subsidised fertilisers, herbicides, and improved planting materials, alongside the distribution of 10 tractors, other agricultural equipment, and 1,200 Android phones.
Under the initiative, 2,000 rice farmers will receive two bags of fertiliser and one bag of urea each, while 8,000 cassava farmers will receive the same quantities of fertiliser and urea, alongside 25 bundles of cassava stems each. The government will also provide three litres of herbicides to each beneficiary rice farmer and 10 litres to each cassava farmer.
The 1,200 Android phones, equipped with applications providing weather information, market prices, and guidance on best agricultural practices, are designed to give farmers access to timely information and strengthen their links to agricultural markets.
The 10 tractors and other equipment are being provided to support farm settlements and farmers’ associations across the state, reinforcing the administration’s drive to expand mechanised farming.
Governor Abiodun said his administration was committed to transforming agriculture into a profitable, technology-driven sector capable of creating jobs and attracting investment.
“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.
The governor disclosed that his administration had completed 28 agricultural projects in the last two years, including solar dryers, warehouses, cassava processing centres and a poultry processing plant at Ajegunle Farm Settlement in Odeda Local Government Area with capacity to process 5,000 birds daily.
He added that the state had procured 39 tractors, four self-propelled harvesters, and other equipment, while more than 200 young people had received training in soilless farming through a partnership with Soilless Farm Lab.
“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,” he said.
Abiodun also highlighted the Ogun State Farmer Information Management System, launched in April 2023, which has captured more than 160,000 farmers.
“Under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), agribusiness firms purchased over 283,000 tonnes of agricultural produce. Farmers organised into clusters also received capacity-building support and connections to off-takers,” he said.
Earlier, Bolu Owotomo, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, said more than 12,000 farmers had benefited from training and inputs under OGSTEP. He disclosed that the input support operates under an arrangement where beneficiaries contribute 30 per cent of the cost while the government covers 70 per cent through partnership with IFAD.
In his keynote address, Prof. Kolawole Adebayo, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said Ogun State occupied a strategic position in Nigeria’s food system due to its 1.2 million hectares of arable land and proximity to major markets.
The celebration featured goodwill messages from the National Programme Coordinator of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones Programme, Dr Kabiru Yusuf, represented by Dr Louis Enaberue, and the South-West Coordinator of the Commodity Farmers Association, Prince Segun Dasaolu.
The highlight was the symbolic presentation of tractors, equipment, phones, fertilisers, herbicides, and other inputs to beneficiaries.
