By Kehinde Oluwatayo
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No fewer than 300 farmers are into rice  planting around Ogbese  and Uso in Akure  North local government area of Ondo State, it has been disclosed.

The disclosure was made on Monday by the Secretary to FADAMA Federal Community Association (FFCA, Mr Boluwade Ogunbodede in an interview with The Hope in Akure.

Ogunbodede who said the production will enhance the efficiency of the rice mill at Ogbese, noted that the farmers under the association are being assisted  by the Nation FADAMA programme.

According to him, the association is assisting them to get loan from government,  adding that the farmers are under its supervision and will definitely take their paddy rice to the mill for processing.

   Apart from rice farmers, Ogunbodede said his association has other farmers under it like palm oil producers, cassava farmers, poultry farmers, fishery farmers among others who are being assisted by FADAMA.

  ” FADAMA federated is the association of farmers under FADAMA programme. We are representing farmers under the FADAMA programme.

  FADAMA in association with the World bank gave some assistance to farmers and Ondo state is one of the beneficiaries.

   “And we have being working to ensure that farmers benefit from the programme. So we have farmers associations in different units under local government. Then we have officers representing the local government and we come together at the state level to assist farmers.

   “We assist them in the area of training, we assist them financially, we buy equipment that they need for them and so on “, he stated.

    Speaking on the need for FADAMA federated, Ogunbodede said the national body of FADAMA wants the farmers to be independent so that they can assist themselves and continue to progress.

   According to him, they can have cooperatives and can even establish an industry on their own.

   He however commended the government of Arakunrin ROTIMI Akeredolu SAN for tremendous assistance being given to farmers in the state.

   He also lauded him for appointing Mr Akin Olotu as his Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture and Agribusiness describing it as a round peg in a round hole.