In a pivotal move, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has pledged N600 million to subsidize land clearing for farmers, reducing their cost from N30,000 to N15,000.
This announcement, made during a meeting with key agricultural officials, also highlights the disbursal of N1 billion to smallholder farmers through SAER.
Additionally, the governor simplifies ACCOS loan support by eliminating the need for civil servant guarantors, allowing farm associations to guarantee their members.
Makinde underscores his administration’s dedication to supporting food security, citing significant progress in food production within the state.
“In Oyo State, we have been getting data on what we have been producing, which suggests that our production is on the increase but the prices of foodstuff are also increasing.
“As a government, we have also done quite a bit to stimulate and support the process of food security. It is either what we are doing is not enough or they are not being channeled to the right sources.
“So, our meeting here is not a talk-shop but to brainstorm on some issues and bring up solutions. I expect you to open up so we can tackle the problem we have on the ground.
“I have noted some few things from the points you all raised and there are few decisions we are going to take. The first one is the issue of revenue because those in charge are compounding the problem of increment in prices of foodstuff.
“For the next six months, nobody should collect any revenue and all the people involved should know that this takes effect immediately.
“We will provide an initial N600 million through the ACCOS to subsidise the cost of hiring tractors. The modalities of how our smallholder farmers can access this subsidy will be worked out and communicated to them. In total, we plan to subsidise the clearing of at least 120,000 hectares this planting season,” he said.
