By GBENGA OLARINOYE

Determined to boost food production during the late planting season, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has handed over 35 hectares of farmland in Mokore Farm Settlement  to farmers.

Governor Aregbesola,  while handing over the farmland to the farmers who were gathered together under the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme (OREAP), promised that his administration would give necessary assistance to food crop producers.

The governor who was represented by the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Prince Wale Adedoyin, had at the 4th Graduation Ceremony of Olupona  Fish Farm Education and Resource Centre declared the readiness of his administration to reverse the trend of massive food importation which, he disclosed, was discovered at the at the inception of his administration in November last year.

Aregbesola explained that a survey was carried out on the sources of food in the State of Osun indicated that most of the food items consumed in the state were being imported from outside. Declaring that the situation was unacceptable, the governor asserted that mere description of Osun State as an agrarian state, was not desirable and must be changed.

According to him, “ we discovered that rice imported from Asia flooded the market while meat from Niger Republic and Burkina Faso dominate the market while most of the fish displayed for sale are imported frozen fish of dubious hygiene and health status. This is what informed our agriculture policy of giving priority to food production so that we can feed ourselves and even sell excess to others outside this state”.

he announced that 30,000 hectares of land which had been acquired for food production in Osun State as part of our agriculture policy, would soon be transferred to the farmers involved in the scheme while also assuring that his administration set up Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O-REAP) to assist rural Farmers.

Beyond cultivation and harvest, Governor Aregbesola explained that his administration was making arrangements with Osun State farmers on how to tap into the daily N3.6 billion food market in Lagos.

He assured further that his government would also assist the farmers to move their goods to Lagos by rail into designated markets that have been secured for them so that farmers would get the best for their work.

He described fish farming with special emphasis on catfish alongside substantial integration with other forms of agriculture as a laudable venture which, if done properly, would be beneficial to the people.

Fish farming, Aregbesola assured further would not only make the youth become self employed but also turn them into employers of labour saying “we are most willing to be of assistance to fish farmers generally. They should feel free to approach us whenever the need arises. We are for farmers”.

He commended the management of Olupona Fish – Farming Education and Resource Centre (OFFER- Centre) under the Catholic Arch- Diocese of Ibadan as well as its partners, the French Embassy in Nigeria and ExxoMobil for taking the bold and commendable step at a time when many people go into aquaculture practice without necessary techniques.

He explained that the involvement of the Catholic Church in teaching people how to fish was a fulfilment of a Chinese proverb that says give a man a fish and you feed him for a day but teach him how to fish, you shall feed him forever.

Citing portions of the Holy Bible, Governor Aregbesola said “it reminds also of the first encounter of Jesus with his first set of disciples who were expert fishermen but had toiled all night fruitlessly until they received instructions from the Master and had a net-breaking haul of fish”.

Beyond caring for the souls of the parishioners, the governor lauded the church for ensuring participants get commendable rounded theology that must be emulated by other religious institutions and bodies.