By Yemi Olajutemu
Ado Ekiti
In furtherance on the efforts to increase productivity along the various agricultural value chain, the Ekiti Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has met with some selected cluster rice farmers under the national umbrella of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), to discuss ways at achieving upscaling plantation.
The Special adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr Boluwade Ebenezer Who met the Farmers Representatives in Ado Ekiti reiterated the commitment of Oyebanji’s administration to achieve prosperity for the state in all sectors.
He said agriculture being the bedrock and one of the mainstream to the state economy is being given utmost attention to drive the development of the state.
Ekiti state started rice production dated back to 1945 with Igbemo rice variety but has now spread to other local governments with better varieties and comparative yield index.
However, Ekiti State is still low in terms of contribution to the national rice production bucket. The sole goal of the gathering is to share ideas and discuss the possible approaches to support rice value chain in the state.
The farmers told their success stories and pain points in both low land and upland rice production space. There was a joint agreement on the road map to scale the production and also facilitate private sector investment into the eco system.
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