Edo Government sets aside 1,000 hectares for women cassava farmers

Edo Government on Tuesday said it had set aside 1,000 hectares for cassava cultivation in the state, as part of its Agriprenuer programme targeted at galvanising women farmers toward realising its food security target.

Mr. Godwin Okonofua, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin.

Okonofua said that 1,000 hectares of land were dedicated for cassava production under the women empowerment initiative.

He noted that the state sourced funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme toward implementing the project.

“The government has undertaken to clear 1,000 hectares of land at Oria, Esan South East Local Government Area for its women empowerment initiative.

“The state government is pursuing a holistic agricultural programme that prioritises key crops, like rice, maize, cassava and oil palm, with heavy public and private sectors’ involvement.

“While the state government is working with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) for the projects on rice and maize, using mechanised farming.

“The private companies are expanding their investments in oil palm plantations,’’ Okonofua said.