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By all means available, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has been vigorously pursuing the objective of his agricultural policy to ensure sustainable food security and self-sufficiency as part of the integrated development efforts of his administration. Integrated development refers to a holistic approach where different aspects of a system like economic, social and environmental factors are considered and addressed together. The aim is to create a comprehensive and coordinated plan for development often requiring collaboration between various stakeholders to achieve sustainable results.
In the case of Ogun State, it is a deliberate policy objective of the Abiodun administration to match its industrial transformation agenda with agricultural revolution through the creation of an enabling environment for investment attraction. In his renewed efforts to boost further investment in the agric sector, the Governor has disclosed the readiness of the state government to enter into partnership with SEMMARIS, a French Company, to set up a modern agricultural hub to boost production and create more jobs for the teeming youths.
This initiative underpins the practical and philosophical essence of an age-old Yoruba adage, stressing the importance of food security and its connectedness to poverty reduction. “Tii ebi ba kuro ninu ise ise buse.” When hunger is taken out of poverty, poverty ends,” so elders say. It also aligns with President Bola Tinubu administration’s resolve to eradicate poverty and hunger by providing affordable food to Nigerians. Leveraging the oceanic plentitude of arable land available in the state, increased investment in the agricultural sector will not only to boost employment generation and reduce poverty but also enhance sustainable food self-sufficiency for the populace.
To be sure, SEMMARIS runs the Rungis Farmers’ Market which is regarded as the largest wholesale market located in Rungis Communes, Paris, France. Therefore, the proposed deal will be a win-win situation for the State when the deal is eventually consummated. The governor, who spoke while playing host to the Regional Agriculture Counsellor of the French Embassy, Sonia Darraco, and the Head of International Projects of SEMMARIS, Mr. Timothee Witkowski, and his team at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on Monday, February 10, 2025, said the project would be a game-changing opportunity for the state and the south western part of the country.
“We look forward to the partnership with SEMMARIS. I beg amongst others in terms of food safety, food security, job creation and he entire Value Chain that the level of quality assurance that will follow will be remarkable.
“What we saw at the Rungis market, last year, was different grades of produce and how pricing followed without necessarily having price tags. We believe this is also an opportunity waiting to be tapped, Governor Abiodun enthused.
He further emphasized the essence of the recent visit of President Bola Tinubu to France aimed at improving the existing relationship between Nigeria and France as well as finding partners to work with various sectors, including agriculture.
“The meeting we are holding this afternoon, Mr. President has pledged full commitment to the implementation much sooner than later as it fits into Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agriculture Agenda in his efforts to ensure that he stems food inflation and ensure that we have food sufficiency, food security and of course, food safety while at the same time, creating jobs and opportunities along the entire Value Chain,” he said.
While stressing the strategic importance of Ogun State in the nation’s current drive towards self-sufficiency, citing 80 percent of its arable land as a strong factor, Governor Abiodun stated that the State “is currently the world largest producer of cassava and the largest producer of eggs in Nigeria.” According to him, the State also takes the lead in rice production in the south west, while maintaining first in non-oil revenue due to large deposits of limestone. He, therefore, called on the company to take advantage of the potentials that abound in the State.
PROMISE FROM THE FRENCH
The response of the Regional Agriculture Counsellor, French Embassy, Sonia Darraco, was no less reassuring, saying “Rungis market, the biggest food market in the world, is ready to invest in the country and Ogun State because its potential would be an excellent staring point.
Similarly, the Head of International Projects, SEMMARIS, Mr. Timothee Witkowski, on his part, said the vision of his organization was to be a strategic partner to Ogun State by working in partnership with the administration to support the development of the modern agricultural hub in the State.
“We believe this modern hub will be a game-changing project in the agriculture food chain in Nigeria. We also believe that it would be an excellent flagship project for the French -Nigerian collaboration.
“Starting with Ogun State is a good idea because we believe that Ogun as a state gathers all the necessary elements to make the project a success because of the location. It is one of the most vibrant corridors in Nigeria and also in the region and Africa.
“We see that you have a strong vision for your state and we will like to be your partner. We have a lot of ideas and have proposed to you technical steps for the way forward. We will like to support you as your technical and strategic partner,” he concluded.
Similarly, plans are underway to establish ranching facilities to handle the processing of meat in the state. The Governor dropped the hint during the visit.
“The establishment of the ranch facilities would enable the government to rear, fatten, slaughter, and process meat in the most hygienic way suitable for human consumption. He said: “We have an immediate plan to set up ranching facilities here in Ogun State where we will rear cattle, fatten them, slaughter, and process them properly.
“We are also going to do piggery as well. Already, we have a lot of poultry farms, but we will get them organized,” Governor Abiodun said.
The move to partner with SEMMARIS furthers the administration’s continued strategy to enhance higher food productivity to stave off the threat of hunger. One of the measures earlier adopted to achieve sustainable self-sufficiency was the inauguration of the Committee on National Agricultural Growth Scheme to encourage wet and dry season farming to ensure the availability of food all the year round, while also leaving sufficient for export. The Committee is headed by the governor who serves as the Chairman, while the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Bolu Owotomo is the Vice Chairman. The State Coordinator of FMAFS is the Secretary.
During the inauguration of the committee, Governor Abiodun reiterated the commitment of his administration to develop all sectors of the state’s economy, particularly agriculture, due to its potential in revenue and employment generation, as well as food security and poverty alleviation. He gave the assurance during the inauguration of the 13-member State Working Committee (SWC) of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme – AGRO POCKET, which took place at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta last year.
He said in his keynote address: “Our target is to produce enough food to attain self-sufficiency in a short time and, in the long term, to produce enough food for other states and for export.
“As an administration, we are committed to the development of all sectors of our state economy. In particular, we recognize the immense potential of the agricultural sector, especially in employment generation, revenue generation, food security, and poverty alleviation.
He said Ogun State had identified viable sources of finance through partnerships with the federal government and the African Development Bank (AfDB), under the Policy-Based Operation (PBO) to boost agricultural production in both wet and dry seasons.
He stressed that his administration’s policy on agriculture had attracted investors to the state, citing the establishment of the Soilless Farm Laboratory at Awowo in Ewekoro Local Government Area as an example of agricultural business in the state. While commending President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, for the laudable initiative, Prince Abiodun expressed optimism that it would help in addressing the food challenge in the country.
The concern to tackle the challenge of food security was one the reasons the government decided to allocate agricultural lands to investors in the agricultural sector at Imasayi (Yewa North LGA), Afon (Imeko-Afon LGA), Oke-Odan (Yewa South LGA), Mamu (Obafemi Owode LGA), and the Odeda Farm Settlement, as well as the allocation of land to members of the State Executive Council, House of Assembly members, and High Court judges to enhance the efforts geared towards operationalizing the back-to-land agenda of the present administration.
Under the scheme, according to Owotomo, the administration has given 1,000 farmers, especially those from farm settlements, a 50 percent reduction in purchasing fertilizer, pesticides, and cassava stems. He said the government had also intervened through the off-take programme by identifying 30,000 farmers and sharing them into clusters of 65 percent in mechanization and a 50 percent discount in inputs and capacity building.
The Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Ogun State chapter, Alhaji Kudirat Adeoye Kusimo, on his part, appreciated the state government for its efforts in providing succour to the farmers, while calling on his other counterparts to be honest by using the fertilizer for the purpose it was meant for.
A significant milestone was recently recorded when Governor Abiodun flagged off the harvest of a 200-hectare of rice plantation at Magboro Rice Farm in Obafemi Owode-Local Government Area of the state. This was borne out of the spirited effort of the government to revolutionise the traditional mode of farming to the modern system of production. By projection, the new initiative is projected to be another major income earner for the state government with no less than N30 billion as an addition to the Internally Generated Revenue.
HOME OF OFADA RICE
Traditionally, Ogun State has a long history of rice production, especially the local brand popularly known as ‘Ofada rice’. It is so-called because it is exclusively grown in Ofada town. Due largely to its unique taste and nutritional value, it has gained popularity among Nigerians and lovers of Nigerian cuisine worldwide. Unlike imported rice, Ofada is a short-grain rice that is typically unpolished. That is, it retains its outer bran layer, giving it a distinctive brown colour and special flavour. Beyond that, it is highly nutritious, rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
However, large-scale production has been severely limited by the use of Indigenous farming methods by smallholder farmers. This is despite the various policies initiated by the successive governments to support these local farmers, not only to promote food security but also to preserve the cultural heritage.
With the renewed support of the Abiodun administration, culminating in the establishment of the 200-hectare plantation, the state is now prospecting for more income from rice production. With the new farming policy, which is the brainchild of the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project supported by the World Bank, the State has now joined the league of large-scale rice-producing states like Lagos, Kebbi, and Bayelsa producing locally grown rice for the consumption of the people and also fostering economic development, creating jobs, and improving livelihoods within the communities.
“In this place, I have 12,500 hectares of land, and all we have farmed is 200 hectares that yielded N1 billion for 200 farmers. From here, I can feed the rest of the country. We will scale up this project immediately from 200 to 2,000 hectares.
“We can generate N30 billion revenue. We can take significant steps towards realizing that vision of making Ogun State the food basket of this country,” Governor Abiodun ecstatically declared during the flag-off ceremony.
The proposed partnership with a French firm aimed to consolidate his achievements in the agricultural sector for sustainable food security and self-sufficiency.
Ogbonnikan writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
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