The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari has lauded the Ekiti State Government over the concept and quality of work at the State Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, describing the project as a critical infrastructure for driving food security and agro- allied industry to the next level.

The Minister who gave the commendation at Ipao-Ekiti during a working-visit to the state, also praised the state government for going into partnership with the private sector to boost agribusiness in the state.

Senator Kyari who arrived the state via the Agro Allied Cargo Airport around 12.22pm on Monday, noted that the facility would guarantee effective and efficient transportation of farm produce from the state and its environs within and outside Nigeria.

He added that it would also ultimately generate income for the state and boost food production in its vicinity.

“The agro-allied cargo airport is a major factor in driving food security and industry to the next level. It is not only key for boosting food production and processing, but also for taking agricultural products to the market.

” This is fantastic indeed. We congratulate the Ekiti State Government for achieving such a wonderful feat. We all know the advantages of such infrastructure and its significant ability to reduce trucking time of agricultural produce,”  Kyari  stated.

In his remarks, Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade said that the agricultural sector is witnessing a huge turnaround under Governor Oyebanji, adding that government is working hard to make Ekiti, the number one cassava producing state in Nigeria.

Boluwade added that the present administration had set a target to double its cassava production output from 2 million tonnes per annum to 4 million tonnes per annum before the end of 2026.

Expressing gratitude to the Federal Government for the fertilizer released to the state last year, the Commissioner said the move greatly improved food production in the state.

He said, “We have several tonnes of maize, rice and other grains, as well as produce in the stores of the state owned Ile Eye Agro Trading Company which we intend to roll out during off-season with the aim of bringing-down and stabilizing food prices in the state all year round. 

“We are trying hard to boost food security through the synergy among state governments, private sector, support development partners and the Federal Government. We are committed to bending the curve and currently clearing, ploughing and harrowing land farms at 50 % subsidized rates.