Food Day: Ogun Gov’t revamps farm settlements, empowers 3,200 farmers to boost cassava, rice production
By: Lauretta Fagbohun, Abeokuta.
The Ogun State Government has rehabilitated major farm settlements and empowered 3,200 farmers with agro inputs and matching grants to scale up cassava and rice production across the state.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, disclosed this in Abeokuta on Thursday during a press briefing marking his two years in office and the commemoration of the 2025 World Food Day themed “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future.”
Owotomo said the government had completed the rehabilitation of production and processing facilities across eight farm settlements, estates, and fish clusters located in Ajegunle, Sawonjo, Ado-Odo, Ago-Iwoye, Ikenne, Ibiade, Coker, Ilewo, Olorunda, Isaga, Eriwe, and Ikangba. He explained that the effort was aimed at improving farmers’ livelihoods, productivity, and infrastructure.
According to him, 400 cassava and 300 rice farmers in Odogbolu and Obafemi Owode benefitted from free agro inputs under the Special Agro Processing Zone (SAPZ), while another 2,500 farmers comprising 2,120 cassava and 380 rice growers from Eggua, Odogbolu, Obafemi Owode North, and Ijebu East LGAs received matching grants at 20% for women and 30% for men.
To promote mechanized farming, the commissioner revealed that the state refurbished five bulldozers to provide affordable land clearing services. He added that through a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Technology, and Digital Economy under the AGRICONNECT initiative, 1,000 farmers were empowered with internet enabled mobile devices for digital advisory services, with 500 handsets already distributed.
Owotomo also highlighted the launch of the Ogun State Farmers’ Information Management System (OGFIMS), which provides a digital platform for farmer registration and value chain data management. “In the spirit of ‘Hand in Hand,’ we have prioritized direct support through input distribution and capacity building. Under the OGSTEP Agric Project, 100 petrol-powered irrigation pumps were distributed to 843 farmers to enable all season farming,” he said.
He noted that the Dapo Abiodun-led administration has further supported households through the “Home Garden Concept,” providing toolkits and planting materials in LGAs such as Owode-Egba, Ayetoro, Ijebu-Mushin, Odogbolu North, Ijebu North, and Obafemi Owode.
Under the OG CARES programme, Owotomo said the state executed several labour intensive infrastructure projects, including drip irrigation at Ado Odo Farm Settlement, road and toilet rehabilitation with water facilities in Imowo, and culvert and pedestrian bridge construction across Ijebu North-East, Odogbolu, and Ado-Odo/Ota LGAs. In addition, 1,700 farmers benefited from agricultural assets such as 27 water pumps, 83 sprayers, 12 cassava graters, 12 hydraulic presses, and three fish-smoking kilns.
He listed other distributed inputs and services to include 480 goats, 580 pigs, 12,000 day-old chicks, 540 bags of feed, 290 bags of NPK fertilizer, 110 litres of liquid fertilizer, 180 litres of agrochemicals, 24,000 fish juveniles, and 260 bags of fish feed for 1,600 farmers across the 20 LGAs.
On livestock health, Owotomo said 83,108 animals cattle, sheep, and goats were vaccinated against anthrax, while 400 pig farmers in Ifo LGA benefited from a sensitization workshop on African swine fever prevention.
The commissioner emphasized youth empowerment as another key priority. “Under the Ogun Youth Agric Programme, in collaboration with Soilless Farm Lab, 192 youths were trained in soilless farming, received stipends, and were allocated farmlands,” he revealed. “Also, 20 youths under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) from eight LGAs are currently undergoing intensive training in agricultural machine fabrication at our incubation centre in Abeokuta.”
Owotomo noted that the achievements recorded are more than just statistics they reflect transformed lives, strengthened communities, and Ogun’s steady journey toward food self-sufficiency.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continued collaboration with federal agencies such as the FGN/IFAD, OGSTEP, OGADEP, and other partners to build a resilient agri food system that guarantees better nutrition today and a sustainable future.
The event also featured an exhibition of farm produce and processed foods by farmers and agro processing firms to showcase the state’s agricultural potential as part of the World Food Day celebration.
