By Fatima Muraina
In a renewed effort to boost food production and ensure seed quality in Ondo State, the Ondo State Agricultural Empowerment Centre (OSAEC), in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), has trained yam farmers on modern setmultiplication techniques and distributed improved yam seedlings to support cultivation.

The training, held over the weekend at the Skill Acquisition Centre of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development along Igbatoro Road in Akure, attracted farmers from across the state who were eager to embrace new farming technologies.

Speaking at the event, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture and Agribusiness, Wemimo Akinsola, explained that the initiative was designed to enhance seed quality and improve seedling productivity in order to achieve food sufficiency.

He disclosed that the training is the first in a series of upcoming programmes that will focus on other essential crops such as rice and maize, with the ultimate goal of ramping up food production across the state.

According to Akinsola, the seed technology in focus involves the laboratory production of mini-seedlings, which are later distributed to farmers.

He said the move would ease the burden on farmers of having to reserve part of their harvest for planting in the next season.

He added that the initiative would help lower food prices by significantly improving yields and reducing costs associated with seed procurement.

Akinsola also disclosed that a farmer registration exercise is currently underway, aimed at creating a comprehensive database that will enable the state to benefit from federal government programmes, the Bank of Agriculture, and other agricultural intervention schemes.

A resource person from IITA, Dr. Olugbenga Pelemo, in an interview with The Hope, said the training would equip yam farmers in the state with knowledge of modern techniques that can improve both the quality and quantity of their produce.

Dr. Pelemo noted that the farmers were introduced to improved yam varieties developed through collaborative efforts between IITA and the National Root Crops Research Institute, which is mandated to enhance root and tuber crop varieties in Nigeria.