Ekiti State Government is set to commence a tractorization scheme that is expected to boost large scale farming as part of efforts to fast track development in the Agricultural sector and guarantee food security in the State.
The State Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun who made this known in Ado Ekiti, explained that the State Government would partner private investors that would provide tractors that farm owners can hire to plough and harrow their farms.
Rt. Hon. Olatunbosun added that, under the new arrangement, the State Government would subsidize cost of hiring the tractors by 50% as against last year’s subsidy of 25%.
According to him, Government would also bear the cost of ploughing and harrowing maximum of five hectares of land for each benefiting farmer as against the maximum of two hectares that was done for each benefiting farmer last year.
Highlighting the advantages of the scheme to include increased efficiency and productivity, Olatunbosun said that the emphasis is to make farming attractive and encourage youths to engage themselves productively in agriculture, adding that the new arrangement would also boost the State’s economic base and curb rural-urban migration.
The Commissioner recalled some other Government’s interventions in the Agric sector to include sharing subsidized developed seedlings, distribution of maize free of charge to livestock farmers, construction of rural/farm roads in the State and Overhauling of the poultry pens at Livestock Development Centre(LDC).
He noted that government also facilitated 50% subsidy on 10kg rice maize and cassava seeds for farmers, fumigation of poultry market against Avian Influenza, cassava cutting, maize seed and other farm inputs distributed to 6,202 beneficiaries while another 1,566 farmers were supported with both production assets and small scale processing equipment.
He called on youths in the State to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the State Government to make themselves productive and become self-reliant, adding that farmers in the State should also justify government’s huge investment in the sector by judiciously utilizing the farm equipment facilitated for them.
The Commissioner stressed that optimum achievement could only be attained when all stakeholders are committed to the vision of Government and contribute their quota towards achieving the dream.