In a bid to increase food production in the country, Ekiti State governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has canvassed for the speedy completion of the ongoing 100,000 metric tonnes silo in the state.
The governor who made the appeal when he paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, yesterday in Abuja, lamented the declining rate of agriculture in the state and the ageing farming populace.
Fayemi who mentioned that the silo project which has been under construction for the past 18months, was moving at a slow pace, and called on the federal government to speed up the activities of the contractors.
To tackle the challenges, he disclosed that the state was in direct partnership with some commercial farmers in a bid to upscale their effort.
He also said that the state had developed an investment blue- print which would focus on agriculture, adding that it would assist in providing job for the teaming youth population.
Noting that the state government had concluded plans to provide jobs for over 5,000 youths, he stated that the youths would engage more in agricultural production.
He however canvassed for their inclusion in the Rural Access Mobility Programme (RAMP) so as to help farmers in the transportation of their goods.
He also advocated the need to create a dedicated grazing reserve for Bororo farmers, which he maintained had been a source of conflict in the state.
The minister in his response, assured that the federal government was partnering with the state in cocoa production, which he said has become moribund.
He informed that conscious effort would be taken to revamp cocoa production in the country with the aim of serving import and export purposes.
Commending the governor for the inclusion of the youths in agriculture and the introduction of the investment blueprint, the minister assured of close collaboration with the state government in reducing poverty in the state.
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