Ekiti State Farmers Urges Governor- Elect to Prioritize Agriculture
A farmers group in Ekiti State has urged the Governor-Elect, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, to empower farmers with affordable fertilizers and soft loans to boost food production in the state. Specifically, the Farmers’ Community Association, Ikole-Ekiti, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Ikole Local Government Area on Tuesday.
Speaking, the Chairman of the association, Mr. Olatunji Ayegbusi, explained that the distribution of farm inputs, especially fertilizer, has been politicized, pointing out that whenever the Federal Government distributed farm inputs, such as fertilizer, through the state’s Ministry of Agriculture, the officials would not allow the inputs to get to the real farmers. Ayegbusi accused the government officials in charge of the farm inputs of selling them, saying some were using the fertilisers on their farms.
His words, “On behalf of the farmers’ association in Ikole-Ekiti, I want to appeal to our governor-elect, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, to empower farmers by giving us fertilizer and soft loans, to enhance food production in the state. The Federal Government has been giving out fertilizers to farmers across the federation, but our own allocation is being diverted. We farmers are suffering in the hands of kidnappers, herdsmen, and the farm inputs that we need to make our work easier are too expensive to procure. I want to appeal to the state government to consider our plight and set aside a budget for agriculture and empowerment of farmers in Ekiti,” Ayegbusi prayed.
Agro Nigeria
