Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has revealed plans to launch the Osun Young Agripreneurs Incubation Programme, which would help target several young farmers and agropreneurs across the agricultural value chain.
The governor disclosed that the initiative was part of the recommendations of the food security committee put in place by the state government, noting that the implementation committee chaired by the Special Adviser on Agriculture, Mr. Olaniran Akanfe had been given the mandate to put into effect the suggestions and proposals in the Food Security Committee report.
Under the programme, Governor Adeleke said, at least 1,000 hectares of land per local government across the 30 local government areas in the state would be made available, alongside provision of tractors that would clear it.
While speaking after a meeting with a Nordic firm, an organization interested in setting up a tractor assembly plant in Osun, the governor said his plan for the agricultural sector was robust and all-inclusive, adding that the state was ready to implement various programmes in the sector.
According to the governor, other incentives that would be made available under the initiative include; farm inputs; guaranteed offtaking; all season irrigation farming; integration of hydroponic farming; integration of precision farming and emphasis on gender balancing and inclusivity.