3,500 Ondo rice farmers  for CBN dry season farming-

By Kehinde Oluwatayo
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No fewer than 3500 rice farmers in Ondo State will participate in the 2019 dry season farming being executed under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme.

The state Chairman of Rice  Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Prince George Oladapo who made the disclosure while speaking with The Hope in an interview in Akure said the state is working on 7,000 hectares of land for the project.

According to him, there are so many farmers who are yet to be accredited under the pocket of the association adding more people may still be added to them.

Oladapo who said the state had not commenced the distribution of high breed seeds and farm inputs like other states noted that it would receive his own this week so that planting can commence almost simultaneously with other states.

“We are yet to receive our high breed seeds and inputs but we are on the farm, preparing our farm. We will receive our own this week and we will commence planting almost simultaneously with other states in the country,” he said.

Oladapo who said more people are getting interested in rice cultivation in the state stressed that the “we are so lucky in Ondo state, the topographical location is well positioned for rice cultivation, we have vast land, the weather is favourable and we have the manpower because more people are getting interested,” he stressed.

While saying Ondo state will feed the whole country if given the inducement and cooperation, Oladapo said the state is yet to tap in to what it has and called on the state government to embrace all windows of opportunities of finances and inputs to assist farmers.

He also called for assistance in the area of mechanisation and access to tractorisation to enable farmers  to boost production.

Oladapo who believed that rice production in the country can conveniently take care of  home consumption said the attitude of the people in the last three years and the interest of the the President, Mohammadu Buhari in bringing up rice production has proved it.

“We have stopped importation as well start processing facilities all over the country. Thank God, Mr President and the President elect is favoured towards bringing up rice production in the state”.

According to him, Nigerians must look away from getting white collar jobs especially the youths, look critically into agriculture and make it a profession and means of livelihood.

The 2019 dry season farming is a multi billion naira project being executed under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme targeting 700,000 participating farmers.

The project according to RIFAN President, Aminu Goronyo, is in strict compliance with the use of irrigable land with adequate irrigation facilities under the supervision of extension agents for adequate technology transfer.

Goronyo said last week that each states and FCT had commenced distribution of high breed seeds and farm inputs to participating farmers who would be cultivating 570,000 hectares of land adding that planting would commence simultaneously in the country.

He said CBN has expressed its willingness to continue to give necessary assistance to RIFAN because of its success story in rice production.