ABEOKUTA–The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has distributed free input supports to about One Hundred and Fifty rice farmers in Ogun State with a charge to the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the supports for maximum outputs.
At the ceremony held Wednesday at Kotopo, Abeokuta, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural development represented by an Assistant Director at the ministry, Mallam Bashir Usman hinted that the rice farmers are expected to enhance food security of the nation with their produce and also to increase their income.
He further cautioned the farmers against diversion or outright sale of the supplied input as neccessary mechanism had been put in place to monitor and deal with defaulters.
The ogun state commissioner for Agriculture and Natural resources, represented by the Programme Manager, Ogun state Agriculture development programme, Mrs. Taiwo Ayansanwo said the state government was concentrating efforts on small medium hold farmers noting that the state government was pleased with the efforts of the federal government to empower more farmers.
Earlier, the Ogun state coordinator of the federal ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, Mr. Ganiyu Oseni had assured the farmers of prompt monitoring of the support input which he said was facilitated by the Japan International cooperation Agency JICA.
Some of the beneficiaries while speaking with our correspondent commended the federal government for the support and called for expansion of the number of beneficiaries, adding that the one hundred and fifty benefitiaries would judiciously utilised the inputs.
Inputs distributed to the rice farmers expected to be used in cultivation of one hectare of land include one bag of fifty kilogramme certified rice seed, four bags of NPK fertiliser, two bags of Urea fertiliser, and one litre of growth enhancer
Other input received by the one hundred and fifty rive farmers across Ogun state include four litres of pesticides and five litres of pre and post emergence herbicide.
