The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has announced the decision of the ministry to collaborate with the Ondo State Government to boost agricultural production in Nigeria.
In a statement, the minister commended the governor for his good vision and actions in the agricultural sector which he said would help in driving the sector very fast, noting that not many governors were looking towards the direction of agriculture.
He said Ondo State is the main driver of agricultural revolution in Nigeria especially with its cattle breeding and cocoa production programmes.
Ogbeh assured the state of the ministry’s support in its cattle breeding project saying, “the quality of food the cattle eat affects their milk production”, thus emphasising the need to grow more grasses to feed the cows to produce more milk.
The minister emphasised the need to engage the youths of the nation in agriculture, saying, “Bringing young people into agriculture is a tough job but assured the youths that if agriculture is well handled, it could make many of them very rich.”
Ogbeh assured the governor of the ministry’s plan of putting an end to the crisis between the herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria and commended the state for its exploits in cocoa production and encouraged them to do more especially in the packaging of the produce to make it more acceptable in the international market.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, stated that he came with his team to explore areas of partnership in the agricultural sector, having realised the productive tendency of the ministry.
Mimiko explained that the state needed to add value to its agricultural programmes with the hope of using it to engage its youths.
According to him, the state has created agro business cities with a moderate level of mechanisation; it has engaged in the fattening of cows to produce milk and cocoa revolution project, and hoped to get support for its cocoa processing facilities from the ministry.
The ministry and Ondo State Government are considering collaboration in the areas of youth in agriculture, cocoa production processing plants, staple crops processing zones and high quality cassava flour.
Credit: Punch
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