47,996 farmers benefit from N2.6B loan

At least, 47,996 of the 80,000 farmers registered in Osun state, have benefited from the N2.6B agricultural facilities coordinated by Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme, OREAP.

Revealing this over the weekend, a member of OREAP Leadership Team, Mr. Gbenga Osobu, stated that various interventions in the Osun agricultural sector have not only lifted the living condition of local farmers, they have helped position the State as the food basket of the Southwest.

Osobu further revealed that another N753M was disbursed as loans to farmers during the Osun Quick Impact Intervention Programme (QUIIP I and II).

“3,645 pig farmers benefited from some N476M loan disbursed to individual farmers, while a grant of N40M was awarded Pig farmers’ co-operative societies” Osobu Stated.

He further listed the achievements of the current administration in the state to include the construction of two commercial and six small holder 10,000 capacity feedlots on a 78-hectare farm.

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Continuing, he said, “The OREAP programme has trained 57 youths in livestock fattening who have fattened 2,200 livestocks in the State’s improved genetics programme. We have established a 78HA Cattle Hub with a capacity to cater for 10,000 Cattles.

“It may interest you to know we have also secured another 2,000HA of lands for additional Cattle hubs across the state.”

The member of the OREAP leadership team further confirmed that over 2,000 pigs have been sold by 5 of the 40 Osun Farmers who were trained in Germany.

Osobu listed other achievements to include the over 200 millionaires made through Osun Broiler Outgrowers Production Scheme, OPOBS I, land validation and perimeter survey in 9 farm settlements using GIS and remote sensing Technology (1 in southwest Nigeria).

20,000HA of farmland validated and 4,211Ha newly discovered and allocated through GIS and remote sensing technology, were also listed as achievements.

Another achievement highlighted includes 5,000MT of fertilizer sold to farmers at 50% subsidized rate; 1,830 rural farmers in 61 local communities in collaboration with UNICEF given farm inputs from the state; 500,000 free cocoa seedlings; 6,000 kola nut seedlings; 6,000 bitter kola seedlings; 64,000 oil palm seedlings and 25,000 cashew seedlings.

They were all provided to farmers for free, he said.

Osobu revealed that two storage facilities with a combined capacity of 1,500 MT was built by the present administration in Oyan and Osogbo; with another 100 cribs; with a combined 1000 MT capacities built across the state.

“The Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration since it created OREAP some few years ago, has given supports to farmers to cultivate 80 hectares of yam clusters across the state; 410HAof rice production at Onilapa, Ogbagba.

“The Osun government under Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has grown the State's forestry to 90,000ha” Osobu added.