Ekiti attracts $300m investment in agriculture

The Ekiti State government has said it has attracted $300m investments
in the agriculture sector in the last three years.
A statement on Thursday said the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi,
disclosed this while speaking at the 2013 World Food Day held in Ado
Ekiti.
According to the statement, the Governor added that the investments
were from reputable indigenous and international agricultural
institutions, including an agricultural company, which had partnered
with the state government for the establishment of 2000 hectares of
mechanised rice, soybean and cassava production.
He said Dutch Agricultural Development and Trading Company was also
working on the establishment of high quality cassava flour processing
factory, while Vegefresh had taken over the moribund Orin cassava
processing plant and has successfully upgraded the capacity of the
plant from 10 tonnes to 60 tonnes per day production.
Fayemi, who said the state government had inaugurated a credit
facility worth N80m as well as tractors worth N100, explained that the
tractors were targeted at farmers whose operations would impact the
agriculture sector.
The Governor, acknowledged the support of multilateral institutions
including the World Bank, African Development Bank, the United Nations
Development Programme, Department for International Development and
Food and Agriculture Organisation for the various drives in the
sector.
He said a Youth Commercial Agriculture Development programme, created
to boost agriculture in the state had empowered 250 youths to
cultivate 1900 hectares of cassava, 53,000 cocoa seedlings, 109,560
oil palm seedlings, 60,000 fingerlings, 6,230 kg of fish and 60,000
broilers.
"The ongoing construction of broiler processing facility at Erifun in
Ado Ekiti which is first of its kind in the State will not only
strengthen livestock value chain but also enhance the availability of
hygienic and fresh chicken for the consumption of the citizenry," he
said.