Edo State Government has announced plans to raise a new generation of farmers who will set the pace for agricultural revolution in the State.
Governor Godwin Obaseki dropped the hint when he paid an on-the-spot assessment to Sobe farms in Owan West Local Government Area of the State on Friday.
He admitted that despite the initial hitches experienced at the beginning, remarkable progress has been recorded in food production with the introduction of advanced technology by the Government.
“With the experience that they have gathered, you can see these agripreneurs doing things on their own. “We are creating a generation of farmers who we are supporting. All of these farms were ploughed by us. “We have done about six of such farms in other Senatorial districts of the State.
“We have similar farms in Usugbenu and Ugboha (Edo Central), Warrake and Agbede rice farms in Agenebode (Edo North), and in Akoko-Edo where there is a similar project. This is the third time we are cultivating these farms. The last time we came was in 2018. We suffered some losses. In 2019, we did much better.
“In 2020, you can see that they are starting much earlier. They are trying to catch up with the rains. You can see the way they are spraying the farm so that they can get the required yield.
“They have planted maize now and after the wet season, they will plant soya beans”, he said.
Mr James Edojah, a worker on the farm, was on the ground during the Governor’s visit to the farm which was established by the Government a few years ago.
Meanwhile Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr Benjamin Atu has alleged that the rented crowd by the opposition was destroying the billboards of Obaseki and the PDP. He said the opposition was doing that because “Obaseki has become their nightmare”.
According to him, the All Progressives Congress, APC and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has not displayed any readiness ahead of the September governorship election.
He said: “Those people behind the destruction are heating up the polity. But their actions have worked in our favour as those who observed them destroying Obaseki’s posters, have also developed a hatred for them and their candidate.
