By: Joshua Adinoyi
As part of efforts at boosting food production and ensuring food Security, Kogi State Government has hinted of her plans to deploy no fewer than 100 Tractors to Farmers across the three Senatorial District of the State for the 2024 Wet Farming Season.
The Managing Director, Kogi State Agricultural Development Project (ADP), Dr. George Ogirima Bello, revealed this when he received Agric Intervention Committee Members put in place by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo in his Office at Felele, Lokoja.
The Committee, made up of Commodity Association Chairmen as representatives of the Farmers, are to work out modalities of reaching out to Farmers to improve their productivity especially in Rice, Cassava and Maize.
Dr. Ogirima said they were in ADP to discuss the way forward and as well, inspect the level of work done so far in the refurbishing of the tractors to be deployed.
The ADP Boss pointed out that the Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo-led administration in Kogi State is committed to ensuring improvement in the agricultural sector hence the directive to refurbish 100 Tractors for Farmers use.
“About 100 Tractors will be assembled in ADP here in Kogi State for deployment to farms as soon as possible and we are going to interface with the Farmers through the Commodity Associations
“The Commodity Associations in Kogi State, led by the Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Adobanyi came here to inspect the ongoing work at the ADP Workshop to ascertain the level of repairs and refurbishment that is taking place and they were happy with what they met on ground
“By our calculation, in the next 10 days 50 tractors should be ready for use while we take delivery of another 50 for reassembling and once they are ready, they will be deployed to the Farmers again
“All thanks to His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Executive Governor of Kogi State who is according rare attention to the Agricultural Sector in the State”.
At deployment, the ADP MD assured that Kogi Farmers will have reasons to rejoice, stating that the initiative targets Eight thousand (8,000) Hectares of Land across the State.
On his part, the Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kogi State Chapter, Alhaji Salihu Adobanyi, said the visit was to see the great works of the present administration at the ADP, stating that Governor Ododo has accorded rare attention to the sector in the Confluence State.
Alhaji Adobanyi stressed that the Tractors will help boost food production in the State at deployment to various Farm centers, calling on farmers to take advantage of the initiative provided by the State government under the Leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
Present at the visit were the Association Chairmen of Cassava, Maize and sesame seed in the State.
Sir, Do you know that for almost 6 years now farmers from Ankpa, omala, olamaboro part of Dekina LGA cannot move 2 to 3km from their household for distance farming because of fulanis nd their cows terrorising those communities.??
Infact, BAGANA market has been taken over by fulanis to the extent that fulanis collects revenue on market days without the indigenous people within the communities.?? Fulanis sells yams, cashew nuts, uproots cassava for their cows to feed on. While the farmers of those products are sitted at home moping at them. Very unfortunate. Before you can procure tractors for farmers, the issue of security should be properly addressed nd the Local government chairmen should be properly checked so that all tractors allocated to Local government areas are not disposed for selfish reasons. Thank yu.