Fisayo Akinduro, Osogbo

|

Osun State government has confirmed that there were no functional tractors and bulldozers for farming in the state.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Adedayo Adewole, disclosed this during the budget defence of his ministry before the House of Assembly Joint Committee on Appropriation, Finance and Agriculture.
Adewole while fielding questions from the state lawmakers about the functions of his ministry and availability of tractors and bulldozers for farming operations, said that the last time the state procured a tractor was in 2004.
On job creation for youths, Adewole said that his ministry intended to create jobs through the agriculture value chain, adding that government had acquired 10,000 hectares of land for farming, adding, however, that about N2.4 billion would be required to clear it.
He said that Governor Gboyega Oyetola had also approved the planting of 100,000 cocoa seedlings, which, he said, had been sold to cocoa farmers in the state at the rate of N50 per seedling.
He said that his ministry generated N96.2 million between January and August into the state’s purse, adding that there were still to generate more if it had more revenue.
General Manager, Osun State Agriculture Development Corporation (OSSADEC), Mr Oyewole Adebayo, also told the lawmakers that the state government bought eight tractors in 2004, with only two partially working now.
Adebayo also stated that three bulldozers were procured by government in 2008, with only two partially working at the moment.