The Former Commissioner for Agriculture in Ekiti State, Dr. Olabode Adetoyi, has said that the agricultural programmes implemented during former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration increased the state’s Internally Generated Revenue from N350 million to N1 billion.
Adetoyi, who spoke to newsmen on Monday, stated that such projects projected the state from the usual civil service economy to a self-reliant state.
Olabode explained that some of these projects engaged individual farmers, cooperatives, youths and communities alike, thereby generating over 12,000 employment and also making agribusiness attractive to the youth’s populace.
The former commissioner stated that clearing of rural roads through FADAMA CARES and Rural Access Agricultural and Marketing Project enabled accessibility to farms and bringing out farm produce to market.
The agricultural expert noted that support of combine harvesters from the Japanese Government being used by farmers has reduced wastage of paddy in rice harvest.
This was just as he added that the rice pyramid programme has helped to scale up the rice production in Ekiti State from 350,000 metric tons to 750,000 metric tons.
He said,
“It has increased investors’ presence within the state thereby increasing the state IGR from ₦350 Million to over ₦1 Billion.
“Projecting the state from the usual civil service economy to a self-reliant state.
“Some of these projects engaged individual farmers, cooperatives, youths and communities alike. It has generated over 12,000 employment/engagement, also making Agribusiness attractive to the youth’s populace.
“Clearing of rural roads through Rural Access Agricultural and Marketing Project has enabled accessibility to farms and bringing out farm produce to market.
“Support of combine harvesters from the Japanese Government being used by farmers has reduced wastage of paddy in rice harvest.
“The Rice pyramid program has helped to scale up the rice production in Ekiti State from 350 metric tons to 750 metric tons.”
Meanwhile, Adetoyi stated that the state achieved success in deploying Public Private Partnership to attract investment to Ekiti worth more than $350 million.
He said this has led to the Partnership of Promasidor and Ekiti State Government which birthed the Ikun Dairy farm with the production of Milk and a cattle ranching system in Nigeria.
According to him, more than twenty five investors are now occupying the state’s farm estates and special Agricultural Processing Zone such as Ikun Dairy Farms/ Promasidor, Agbeyewa Farms Ltd / Axxess.com USA, Lancaster Farms Ltd with Head Office in UK, Chodchod Investment, Lagos, Truvis Agro Ltd Lagos, Promise Point Ltd, FMS Agro Ltd, Arog. Bio and so many more
He is currently the Chairman and Founder of Value Ingredients Ltd Lagos with a branch in Ado Ekiti.
He was Director, Fountain Holdings Ltd (an investment arm of Ekiti State), Chairman Youth in Commercial Agriculture Development Ekiti State, Member Ekiti -State Covid 19 Resource Mobilization Committee, Hon Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security Ekiti State 31st August 2020 – October 15, 2022.