Abeokuta: The Ogun State Government has supported farmers with N5.4 billion worth of inputs through the Ogun State Transformation Economic Programme (OGSTEP). The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Bolu Owotomo, disclosed this at a news conference on Monday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the development objective of OGSTEP is to increase agricultural production and stimulate private sector participation in the agricultural, industrial, and skills sectors of the Ogun State economy. Owotomo stated that the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, through the OGSTEP initiative, had ensured an increase in food productivity in the state.
The commissioner mentioned that with the support of inputs worth billions of naira, farmers are expected to produce 318,000 tonnes of commodities. So far, 65,000 tonnes have been harvested, with an additional 92,000 tonnes to be harvested soon. The expected revenue for farmers under OGSTEP is projected to be around N15.9 billion.
Owotomo further revealed that the state Ministry of Agriculture had registered 160,000 farmers, with over 40,900 divided into 2,537 groups. Under the OGSTEP programme, 22,000 farmers have received support across the state, and 16,000 have benefited from the state’s capacity-building programme. Additionally, 34,000 farmers have been connected to offtakes. He assured that the state government would continue to ensure food stability through various interventions across the 20 local government areas.