The Director General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), Dr. Debo Akande has said that plans are underway to improve the annual income generation on agribusiness to one billion naira.
Dr. Akande said that in order to achieve this, the state government has engaged no fewer than 600 out of over 3,000 youths trained in Nasarawa State in crop and animal farming under different programs including Oyo-Cares project.
He disclosed this during a media parley held at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) recently.
OYSADA DG explained that the foresight of Governor Makinde has placed Oyo State a step ahead of others and becoming one of the best agribusiness hubs in Nigeria.
He said that Oyo State has become a free trade zone for the establishment of Agribusiness, citing Fashola and Awe Farm Settlements as examples of replica projects implementing by the African Development Bank (AfDB) at the continental level.
“I just got back from Zambia under the auspices of the Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania trip. I was dumbfounded with what I saw in terms of modern agricultural practice. What we thought we’re doing now is enmass in all those places. You see farm estates, farm hubs all over the place, in fact I felt embarrassed that we’re just starting this our own.
“This is a private sector driven project and when the governor said private sector involvement is over 70 percent, he wasn’t just saying it, he said it because of what he has seen and a trip to Fashola will show you the magnitude of what this private sector is already doing there. These people don’t even know the amount of revenue we are already generating in millions from Fashola even when we’ve not even fully started.
“By the end of next year I don’t expect anything less than one billion naira worth of revenue for Oyo State with what is already on ground. The governor is a very prudent and conservative person who has done exceptionally well to provide ideas that will make Oyo truly great. People just need to be patient to see the outcome of all these things.
“I mean, if this is not global why would the African Development Bank be spending over one billion dollars to start what they call strategic agro-processing zones? exactly what we’re already doing at Fashola. Why would they be doing that across the whole of Africa? So, we’ve actually preempted what would be the global trend and we’ve started before them even the African Development Bank has been there, and by virtue of what we did at Fashola, is the reason they’re giving us another forty million dollars to start at Ijaye.
“Oyo is the only state in the whole of the South West that has been accorded respect by World Bank to join what they call L-Press Project, that’s another forty million dollars. We held the launching in Abuja and Oyo State was there, it’s a public knowledge. Oyo State is not just becoming the darling of everybody it is because we have a governor that has a vision who is following through what is the global trend in international best practice in agricultural development and that has started yielding results.
“Let me say one thing here, if we built one of this and it generated one billion and then it has a revenue pipeline for twenty years because that’s what we’re doing. People occupying the place (the big agricultural investors) are paying certain amount of money for lease over twenty years period that means we already income stream for Oyo State for the next twenty years. Now let’s have ten of this across the state over same period and know the true meaning of revenue from agriculture.
“And If I can be generating one billion every year from agribusiness alone for the state for the next ten years, because if we keep on building new ones through private sector driven, we will, and I’m not even talking about the volume of employment that will be generated through our expanded agribusiness value chain but the volume of crop production and livestock that will be coming out of Oyo state. And while that is being put in place we must also design a new sustainable system that will be able to cater for us as a people and that can add to our economic growth. That’s all we’re doing.l,” Akande explained.
While debunking a rumour making the round about the financial status of the Agency by those he called political farmers, revealed that OYSADA management staff are not employees of the state and do not draw operational funds including salaries and other benefits from the state coffers.
He said that IITA, whose funds is being solely managed by itself is responsible for the funding of the Agency and payment if its staff.
“OYSADA under my leadership has not received any funds to the tune of even a billion naira since its inception till date, most our projects are funded by IITA and other development partners, not by Oyo State government.
“What has been spent on YEAP from inception till date is not even up to one billion so, there’s no billion anywhere. 99.9% of the money that has been spent on YEAP Project because of margin of errors, not one Kobo of the 99.9% passed through OYSADA. So, how can anybody alleged me of what did not even go through me? And that 99.9% would be the money spent on the training of YEAP beneficiaries at Nasarawa, and it was channeled directly through the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.” Akande disclosed.
He described the report as unfortunate, that some ‘political farmers’ who have for many years frustrated and sabotaged successive government’s efforts and investments in the agricultural sector would still remain hellbent on frustrating efforts of the Seyi Makinde led government for selfish and pecuniary gains despite the unprecedented achievements already being recorded in terms of revenue, economic expansion, and employment generation.
Speaking about what the Agency is doing to fully carry local farmers along in the new agribusiness development agenda, Akande said that the small farm holders would be the biggest beneficiaries of Oyo State agribusiness development agenda in terms of right market, farm inputs, modern techniques and tools for bumper produce as well as expanded agribusiness value chain which the big players are already creating, leading to a revolving wealth within the agricultural sector.
Be the first to comment