Edo expands Agripreneur Scheme, urges communities to offer land for use

Edo State Government has called on communities with contiguous land sizes (minimum of 50 hectares) to offer their land for agricultural use under the state’s Agripreneur Programme.

The Programme is an initiative of Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, aimed at de-risking the agricultural value chain. It is being run in partnership with a number of partners, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In a statement signed by Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Prince Joe Okogie he assured that the land would be used for crop and livestock production in line with the state’s food security strategy.

Okogie noted that crops such as rice, maize, soya beans and cassava would be cultivated under the agripreneur programme in the lands made available by communities.

According to him: “Indigenes of the communities will be aggregated as beneficiaries of the programme where government will assist them with land development, mechanisation, cultivation, access to market and access to soft loan.

“Similarly, for communities or individuals with poultry pen of large capacities (minimum of 4,000 poultry pen capacity) are also encouraged to aggregate farmers for their pen and submit to the Office of the Special Adviser on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Government House, Benin City,” he added.

Okogie explained that the state has through the programme provided an opportunity for smallholder farmers to expand to commercial-sized farms, with the benefit of securing necessary input and tools to make the farming process hassle-free.