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The Oyo State government has inaugurated a farm settlement and engaged 1,000 youth farmers to pioneer organic farming, modeled after the popular Songai Farms in Port Novo, Benin Republic.
Representative of the farm, Salaman Setonji said at the inauguration in Aawe, Afijio local council of the state, described the venture as a legacy that would outlast many administrations.
While appreciating Governor Abiola Ajimobi in assisting the Oyo people through agriculture, Setonji, promised that his organisation would support the government in achieving the desired food security through integrated organic farming.
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His words: “It is a thing of pride that the governor has been relentless in replicating the Songhai Integrated Organic Farming system in Oyo State thereby making the people experience agriculture like they never did”.
He assured that the organic farm would provide food security, youth employment and stall environmental degradation, noting that the farming process would entail primary, secondary and tertiary production stages, which would include the planting of cash crops and grains.
Setonji said the end products of some of the crops would serve the poultry section as feeds while the poultry droppings would feed the fish, adding that the tertiary stage of the process entailed processing of the waste products for Biogas, which would be used to generate electricity.
“We have gone round to study the soil texture and I am happy that the soil here is the best. We have the master plan for the perusal of the governor and you can see the ways the farm will be planned,” he added.
In his address, Ajimobi said that God blessed the state with abundant human and natural resources, which needed to be deployed to create food security through agriculture.
He stated that for the state economy to be at par with the economies of other states, organic farming should be encouraged, noting that the Pacesetter organic farming model would be replicated in other parts of the state.
“Today, we have seen that the peace and socio-economic development we put in place in 2011 will be sustained with abundant food through this system and it is therefore, pertinent for our youths to see this project as their own and embrace it for the dream of a greater Oyo State to be actualized.
“We are pleased to introduce the integrated organic farming, which is focused on employment generation, employment value and change innovation. The scheme is set to employ over 2million youths and it will also provide the modern technology to sustain the project,” Ajimobi said.
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