Ogun Govt earns ₦1bn revenue from rice production, poised to feed the nation

On August 19, the governor announced a significant milestone in rice production in the state as the state government harvested the rice planted in May 2024 at Magboro Rice Farm in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.

With an impressive yield of 7 MT per hectare on the 200-hectare pilot project, the state produced approximately 1,400 MT of rice, equivalent to 20,000 bags of milled rice. This achievement brings in an estimated revenue of ₦1 billion every three months to the state, directly benefiting the out-growers, including many youth and women who are new to farming.

Following the success of the first harvesting, the governor is now scaling up to 2,000 hectares, with plans to expand to 5,000 hectares, projecting ₦10 billion to ₦25 billion in revenue per quarter. This latest development has brought Ogun State into the league of rice-producing states in the country.

The farm under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project, supported by the World Bank is the brainchild of governor Abiodun aimed at driving economic growth and development in the state.

Speaking at the occasion to mark the harvesting of the rice, Governor Abiodun said that with the flag-off, Ogun State is not only joining states like Lagos, Kebbi, and Bayelsa in producing locally grown rice for the consumption of the people, but also fostering economic development, creating jobs, and improving livelihoods within the communities.

He said: "This is a 200-hectare rice farm. The farmers are mainly women and youths from all parts of the country and not just from Ogun State alone.

"Each farmer was allocated one hectare of farmland; this means that we have 200 farmers in this cluster. This project started in April this year. They began planting in May, and today we are already harvesting, making it a three-month cycle. It means that we can do this three times a year," he said.

He added: "20,000 bags of milled rice per cycle should be estimated to cost about ₦1 billion. So, these 200 farmers, made up of women and youths across the country who farm here in just three months, have a revenue of ₦1 billion. If they do this three times this year, they will earn ₦3 billion. We have no business being hungry in Nigeria."

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