The Director-General of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) and Executive Adviser on Agribusiness to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr. Debo Akande, has said, has expressed the readiness of the state to explore opportunities in greenhouse technology to boost tomato production.
Dr. Akande stated this on Friday, during a visit to the governor of the state, Engr. Seyi Makinde, by a Dutch delegation led by the Consular-General of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, Nigeria, Mr. Michel Deelen.
Akande said that the governor had already given a marching order on the effort, which would see about 50 greenhouses producing tomatoes in the state to complement what smallholder farmers are doing in the open fields.
The OYSADA DG, who stated that The Netherlands delegation was ready to partner with Oyo State in the area of tomato production, noted that the state has achieved successes in the agriculture value chain and has particularly carved a niche for itself in the area of cassava production.
He added that following a recent trip to Ethiopia, where the governor addressed the African Business Forum, the state is also looking to work on soya bean production, stating that the visit by The Netherlands delegation would offer Oyo State the opportunity of exploring tomato production on a large scale.
Speaking earlier, the Consular-General, Kingdom of The Netherlands, Deelen, said the delegation that visited Makinde was on a trade mission that included about 15 Dutch companies, including seed companies and specialists in horticulture and greenhouse technology.
He said that the visit is to discuss the role of government and see how they could work with the Oyo State Government to boost production of horticulture products.
“We brought people from Westland, and other people from the horticulture sector, to exchange information and see how together we can make sure that production of horticulture products increases in Oyo State.
“We felt there is a huge demand in the South-West, not just Ibadan or Lagos. Lagos does not have the landmass to produce all that but Oyo State has.
“The ordinary person on the street tends to gain different things from this partnership if he is interested in horticulture or getting a job in that sector, because it is also about job creation.
“On the other hand, if the average person on the street is a consumer, he will see that the quality of tomatoes and other farm products in the market will increase and that could be visible.”
Similarly, Agricultural Counsellor at the Consulate-General Office, Inge Tenniglo, said the Dutch government is willing to partner with Nigeria to see how the quality and quantity of tomatoes can be increased.
In the same vein, Senior Manager, International and Economic Affairs, Ima Meijer, said the Dutch government believes in sustainable food production and believes that greenhouse technology is one of such ways to achieve it.
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