Osun community embraces FG’s agric policy

Forum 9 months ago

Osun community embraces FG’s agric policy

The Igbajo Community in Osun State has called on the Federal Government to fund and mechanise agricultural operations as part of measures to tackle food shortage across the country.

President Bola Tinubu recently disclosed that 500,000 hectares of land had already been mapped to increase the availability of arable land for farming, having declared a state of emergency on food security in Nigeria.

The President of the Igbajo Development Association, Sola Fanawopo, in a statement on Saturday, said the community was eager to receive federal assistance in the area of food processing and preservation in order to take its production of the crop to a new level.

He said, “Realistic land preparation involves the removal of the cover bushes, the removal of tree stumps as well as the removal of stones from the land. Igbajo farmers stop at the removal of bushes using the ancient, manual slash-and-burn methods.

“However, the key to agricultural breakthrough in our community is for the government to fund and mechanise these operations. Thankfully, they are a once-and-for-all operation and the effect will be immediate.

“It will transform the land by making it available for full mechanisation of all agricultural operations from seeding to harvesting. With tree stumps, roots, and stones present on the ground, the use of most agricultural equipment is simply impossible.”

Fanawopo also advised the Federal Government to focus its intervention on revolutionalising agriculture in the country.