According to reports from the annual Farmers’ Day celebration in Igbogene, Bayelsa State, it was disclosed that Oando and its JV partners, as well as USAID, have started investing in improving agricultural practices.
The annual farmers day was a commemoration of the 2017 Green Rivers Project (GRP) of the JV Partners – Oando Plc, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
The Chief Executive Officer of Oando Energy Resources, Mr. Pade Durotoye, while speaking at the event said: “We have taken it upon ourselves to re-orientate members of our host communities particularly the unemployed youths to embrace agriculture as a viable future for the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.
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He further said: “The hard truth is that beyond the oil and gas sector, greater opportunities abound in other sectors of the economy and we must take advantage of this.”
He was quick to add that Oando, through its Corporate Social Responsibility, rewards and acknowledges the untiring efforts shown by farmers in providing sustenance for the country’s ever-growing population, providing raw materials to the Nigerian industries, and contributing substantially to the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
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Mr. Durotoye said through the programme, they have successfully sensitized the host community-based farmers on the importance of agriculture by introducing to them high yielding planting materials, fisheries activities, and formation of Cooperative Societies to access micro-credit scheme.”
It was reported that the event is one geared towards creating awareness on the importance of agriculture in spearheading the socio-economic development and economic diversification across the country most especially the Niger Delta.
