The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has revealed his administration’s goals towards ensuring that farmers in the state cultivate up to 250,000 hectares of farmland within the next two years.
He made this known during the 13th Esan Economic Empowerment Workshop, with the theme: Modernizing Agri-business in Esan Land for Economic Empowerment.
Governor Obaseki said aside from the fact that the goal is in line with FG’s Agric-centred economic transformation policy, it was also due to the fact that agriculture has the prospects of creating millions of jobs for youths.
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He said the aim of the agricultural projects he was embarking on was the renovation of the Edo fertilizer plant in Auchi and the revamping of College of Agriculture to help train farmers.
Obaseki went on to state the achievements of his administration in the field of agriculture, making mention of the renovation of the Edo fertilizer plant in Auchi.
He cited the Gelegele seaport as a crucial capital project which will help smoothen the flow of exportation of products in the state.
Speaking further, he highlighted the fact that agriculture is a field that has been heavily modernized according to scientific standards.
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Therefore, according to Obaseki, there is the need to tap into this new system in order to compete properly at the international level.
He then used the opportunity to call upon the youths to take advantage of the opportunities provided by agriculture, with the state becoming a more suitable environment for large-scale farming to thrive, through ease of land access and other factors.
