Abiodun prepares Ogun as Africa’s cassava hub,trains farmers

&NewLine;<p>The Ogun State Government  has set up a weed free&comma; fully mechanised Cassava demonstration farm to serve as  model and training centre for cassava farmers in its Anchor Borrowers&period;  <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Conducting media men round &nbsp&semi;the centre located in the Odeda Farm Institute Eweje&comma; Commissioner for Agriculture &nbsp&semi;Dr&period; Adeola Odedina said since the state is handling one of the biggest Cassava Anchor Borrowers Programme in the country&comma; &nbsp&semi;there is the need to guide Cassava farmers on modern and mechanised systems of farming&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We are here to monitor activities of the state&&num;8217&semi;s Cassava Revolution &nbsp&semi;Programme&comma; we are handling one of the biggest &nbsp&semi;Cassava Anchor Borrowers Programme in the country and some weeks back&comma; the governor linked 2&comma;500 participants with land&comma;credit&comma;inputs and off-taker&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We also have another 2&comma;500 hectares meant for young people&period; The Ogun State Cassava Revolution Programme is the organ that has the mandate of taking off demonstration farms and the implication is that&comma; for every body that is participating &nbsp&semi;in the State&&num;8217&semi;s Cassava Anchor Borrowers Programme&comma; it must be like this&period; You have all witnessed how we used technology to establish this farm&&num;8221&semi;&comma;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Odedina who was accompanied by some top management staff of the Ministry assured that&comma; just as what is obtained in the farm where there is no weed and is well-organised&comma; after planting&comma; beneficiaries can go and sleep&comma; then come back and harvest&comma; appreciating the governor &nbsp&semi;for funding Cassava Revolution in the State&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Corroborating Odedina&&num;8217&semi;s position&comma; the permanent secretary&comma; ministry of Agriculture&comma; Dr&period; Dotun Sorunke maintained &nbsp&semi;that the essence of setting up the centre is that&comma; &&num;8221&semi; we are no longer using hoe and cutlass farming&comma; we want to use technology&comma; &nbsp&semi;we want to use innovation and engage our youths to have interest in farming&&num;8221&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>He added that &nbsp&semi;the mandate of the state&&num;8217&semi;s Cassava Revolution Programme will also focus more on training&comma; research and product development especially along the Cassava Value &nbsp&semi;Chain&comma; stating that the ministry has also cleared land &nbsp&semi;in 17 different locations &nbsp&semi;across the state for 2&comma;500 farmers between ages &nbsp&semi;18 and 40&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We have already cleared land for 2&comma;500 farmers between ages 18 and 40 to capture substantial number of our youth farmers who will come here for training&&num;8221&semi;&comma; he disclosed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Also speaking&comma; &nbsp&semi;the Programme Coordinator&comma; &nbsp&semi;Ogun Sate Cassava Revolution Programme&comma; Mrs&period; Kehinde Jokotoye&comma; said the demo farm&comma; which is a 8 hectares cassava farm&comma; will be of great help in training young farmers as well as &nbsp&semi;cassava farmers on the proper technology to adopt when growing Cassava&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;