Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has pledged his administration’s commitment to support large-scale farming in the state.
As made known in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Ebenezer Adeniyan and made available on Monday, Aiyedatiwa made the pledge during his visit to the two private mechanised farms – SAO Agro Farms and JB Farms Limited, which had collaborations with the government and are located in Ore, the headquarters of the Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
During the visit, the governor directed that all illegal farmers on the farmland should vacate the place.
He, however, promised that the government would provide alternative farmland to the displaced farmers.
Aiyedatiwa, after a tour of the palm plantation and its processing mill of the farms, lauded the transformation of what was once a dense forest into a highly productive agricultural enterprise.
“As you can see, this is a very large plantation, the biggest I have ever seen. This used to be a thick forest, but it has now been turned into a productive venture.
“What I see here is impressive, not just in terms of the plantation but also the extensive infrastructure development.
“This investment has gone beyond just planting palm trees; the company has built roads and is now constructing a modern processing mill.
“According to the CEO, this mill will be completed next year and will be ready for commissioning. This is a huge investment that deserves commendation,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the SAO Agro, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, told the governor of the company’s long-term vision including food production, nation building and
“At SAO Agro, we believe that agriculture is not just about food production—it’s about nation-building and agricultural ecosystem development
He appreciated Governor Aiyedatiwa’s encouragement and looked forward to collaborating further to drive agricultural transformation.
