FEATURES 18 Thursday 15 November 2012
SUSINESSOAY: www.businessdayonline.com
Osun in agric sector revolution to grow economy Osun State is well on its way to agricu lture revolution . With the la unch of Osun Beef Production (O'Beef) at Oloba village, the state has set the pace for agricultural development, self- reliance in food production, creation of economic base and job opportunities for the you ng ones, writes REM I FEYISIPO the Inception of his administration ,GOYt'fTIOr Raul ~Ia or Osun Stale saki he uld transform and reluvt.'nalt' me agncullllr.U sector 01 the economy whk:h used 10 be a major Iorcign exch."lngr earner for
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Nigerii5. cspedally In the western
Arq;besob saki LI ....' agriculture wllich UK'd to be the mainSlayoilhe economy and emplo)1!J 01 about 70 per cent oIlu total populaDon has been "*gated 10 the bad.ground
for years.. lhls. he! 11OIed. rot\oI.vcd the disc:ow-ryol 011 in theliOs and has dominated reYef1ueoftheoounuy in LIM! IaslSO yean. ApRnfrom Ihis, hesaid UM!5C'00I" had been ncgIcaed bypast regimes. assuring the citil.ens thai priority at· tCtltion would begk~ 10 IIgriad'llre and food security. dhng that his admlnistrntioo wouJd flOC rrlenl in Its efforts at U1\'e5ting massively In
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As an agrarian Slate, ArqbesoIa decned 1X!aYY rcliarxz on I'ood unportlItion, I Ul'nd he decribed as·o road 10 ecoootnic IJeftblion· Ihl5 is what inromlCd our ag-
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a' Otoba Ranch in two Local Gcwemment Area of Osun State
ricuJ~ policy of giving priority 10
food pruduction 50 that we can feed oursdvesande\'f!nsdl the~ IO oolenoutsidcthissGu: ~
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....Presently,
no 1Ie\'o'Cf ltlo1l1400 lalll.~ been.succcssfuUv fallened al ranch lor IC"OtIvt' pe-rtods and tltIs has t-n done ill 1101"flt'1"VUl' ...ilh tilt" Ohafeml /\\ ..~Jlowo Unh," siry, lIe· lre and the ()JlTJ\ Cel'llTt', Oluponna. For a stan, the ranch which jj being managc:d by 11 ';outh African experl In conjunction with IIT/\ and r-acuityol Agrindl\llt'. Obafeonl ha~ lt~
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Th ~ the agrIruItwaI rev0lution 115 mnudated in tus six-poinl integral ItCtion plallS thai 5tt~ 10 ().lrtish hunger; uncl'I1ploymemand ~heahhylking..theprescntad
m1nisln.lion has Introduced many
prognmmes to boost agricultllJe In the lIale which included Osun Farmeno Tr.dns pro)t'ct In whkh It pannt'.rM Osun fa rmers and was ~ 10 tap Inlo the daity NJ.6 billion rood nwtet In ~ The gesrure ill 10 aWsl the .farm eA 10 nlO\'I! their goods to I...agos by rail Into designated markclS thai
The governor hopes that thousands would be employed in animal rearing wh ile thnljsands more will be engaged in cow fattenin g
sands would bemlp~ mammal waring while thousands lnon' ""ill he engaged in row faltt.'ning; animal feed$, modern abauOIf ~crvic~~. cross breeding and \"l!I.ennary 5Cr \ices V.1th the launch of IhI:- rllnch lie said thallmfn..iduals plm"l'" fanns as weD ~ qnall sca~ Uldll!> lI1es v.iD ~ up al'an from lood procll!SSlJl1,. packatting and haul• services while governml'"nt Will he supporung ~mall holder coop erauves.. such as tht" OYES cOOets" to e::5IablJ.Sll caltW falleTlln~ cnlCfJ'll._ thaI W1111lC' funded from a Plopowd NSOO mUlino seed fund Ih.11 will be ralsed lor that ptlfjJOSf' Aboul JO forrlgn Sj)('t."1CS rnlIed the l..runbian Baran wuukllJC! intro duct'd to the ranch ...ith 11 \iew 10 !;CIlCtkaliyClO55breedi11g ltM.'"nl V.11h IoatI ones to get a new lnd~toU~
hl1\-.! been 5CCllft'd lor them 50 that fannenwouk! get the best for their ~,~
As pan of this plan, Ihe Sla te government has also acquired Jour locomotives of 40 coaches and 40 w.tgOIl510 ease this tntnsportation.
Apart rrom traclorlsed 2.683 hectares of {annland lor fanners IKl"055the 5liUe atsubsktized niles. rqlstered farmers' co·operatlve groups h a\'e beneRtoo hom loans disbursed by the state govc,"
ment under the Quick Impact Imervemion Programme (Q IIP). The groups also benefited from subsidy sc;henes on land clearing and preparation, Osun Droller ProductiooScheme(OBOPS)v.ilile fish farming projects are among programmes PUt In place 10 attain food KCUrity. In furtherance of this effor! towards RU-rdia nce In food pro· dUCtion, the state I'\.'CeI1tty laWKhed Osun Beef Production outfit called
O'oed located Oil O loha Farm Scttkmc:m In two. ·Ihe project 15 a 78 4 hectares of cattle ranch whkh hM 10,000 cattle capacity aimed al mCi!ting the ~dcmand oftheSlaleasweli as the mtIre 5oulh-\\ est St'lles 11 is expected thaI when fully opera· tional. the project would creale a minimum of 55, 000 em ployment opportunltle$ In agriculture and agro·business alone. lhe ~mor hopes Ih1l1 thou
Speaking al tIw COI'nrlll~lIurg of tile ranch 81 Olob.... wlilch 15 one oltlle "b..1ntkmcd farm <Mlk-m"m established by the admtnlSlrnuon of 1..1U· Obalcml /\\\"olowo in Ih~ 60s but ~1\~ lJv the slalt'jro'Tnl menl, thl'" gt)\"elUor ~Id Ihal lh .. mnch Is mt'aIlIIO I:Io<KI agriruIlUfe. food production and proc-.ng i\rejlbesola said Ih:1I gh~n til(' huge market for caule ill L.ago~ and other Yontb~ st~tl'"~ animal rl'arfng and production become ~ paramowll econol1lic progratnmt· for tile Mate According 10 him. Ut~ <>Iale alone consume 6,(100 callie dalh· none o f which Is supplied frum ltle SoUlh· West, addin!l; thai the: trend mllSI Slop as a govemmenc 15 nol responsible and responSI\'e If It is Incapable of feeding itJ people lie said Ihallhe Not l billion beef marlr.e'l has the polentlal 10 empown the South West people economically Ihrollgh wealth creation that wuuJd translate inlo increased household Income l 1w g'O'VllOf Slressed thai Slmi lar bUI lager ranches would also be esta blished In F.de and Ejigbo, polnllng oul thaI -It is the obtec · tt~ ormy administration 10 cu'atf' lhe enabUng environmefl1 tll3t ...ill malr.c th is happen,we will be dedi call1lg and dn~lojllnR hundreds of he-=tares of land into grazing reserves. cattle market, brecdhg centres, and fallenlng 11\Ibs. :hls v..-ill be In additiOllto the ..-cen,nj ilbanoil'S tJlItI ....,. are (lM..dopl.n~ h .'ll.-lected towns 0Cf0S5 the st.11"-