Sending a piece of raffia mat to Governor Ademola Adeleke symbolizes an urgent message in Yoruba culture, known as ‘aroko,’ indicating that someone under his care is critically ill and in danger of dying. Similarly, the agriculture sector in Osun State is ailing and on the brink of collapse under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Agriculture constitutes approximately 70% of both direct and indirect employment opportunities in Osun, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Neglecting this sector, which serves as a vital source of food, employment, and livelihoods, is not an option. Osun State is fundamentally both a civil servant and an agrarian state.
Blessed with expansive arable land totaling about 1.4 million hectares, with about 761,690 hectares available for crop cultivation, Osun boasts suitable conditions for both tree and arable crops. Additionally, its rivers and streams offer potential for irrigation and fish production. Osun is the second-largest producer of cocoa, accounting for 22% of Nigeria’s cocoa production, behind Ondo state. The state also holds immense promise for livestock production.
Regrettably, Governor Ademola Adeleke has only paid lip service to the plight of the agriculture sector, lacking any actionable plans to complement his rhetoric. Despite his speeches at various fora, including the International Cocoa Conference in Lagos and recent agricultural events in London, tangible steps toward revitalizing the sector remain absent.
Osun state unfortunately has the highest inflation rate of 33% in the Southwest, as per the last inflation report released by NBS, embarrassingly falling behind Lagos with lesser arable land suitable for cultivation. Osun, with over 3000 hectares of farm settlement, does not have any business with high food prices.
Osun state boasts 9 farm settlements controlled by the government, namely Ago Owu, being the largest with over 1800 hectares of land, and others including Esa Oke, Oyere, Oke Osun, Ilaorangun, Mokore, Iwo, and Oluponna. However, problems in these farm settlements vary and require different solutions. Some have been hijacked by land grabbers, while others, especially Ago Owu, have been recently disturbed with cattle grazing. The Oloba farm settlement in Iwo was leased out under a shady deal that needs to be investigated. The facilities in Oke Osun farm settlement have been dilapidated, and none of the settlements can boast of functional tractors. However, Nigeria Machine Tools in Osogbo fabricates tractors and implements of up to 50hp that can be used for light cultivation and can penetrate small to medium farms.
Likewise, livestock production in Osun state has declined, and there is no roadmap for fish, piggery, broiler, and egg production, as well as cattle, sheep, and goat fattening. Osun’s 2024 budget for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security allocates 3.1 billion naira with no specific program or project itemized in the budget details.
It is safe to say that the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Tola Faseru, who is a cashew value chain expert, has failed to leverage his expertise in cashew and cocoa value chains to ramp up food production and its value chain in Osun state.
How many hectares of arable land has the Ministry led by Mr Tola Faseru opened up for cultivation against wet season farming? How many hybrid seedlings has the government to planned to support farmers in the state? How many tonnes of fertiliser has the state planned to subsidise for farmers in the state? How many hectares/acres of land has been allocated to intending farmers in the 9 farm settlement? How many tonnes of maize, cassava, rice, etc, has the state target to harvest for wet season farming? How many tonnes of chicken has the state planned to produce by the end of the year? How many tractors has the state planned to procure at the end of the year? How many farm roads would be graded at the end of the year? How many hectares of cocoa or cashew farm would be planted at the end of the year to become the largest producer of cocoa in Nigeria? How many tonnes of cattles, pigs, and goats would be fattened at the end of the year? How many tonnes of fish are to be produced at the end of the year?
It is evident that the commisioner and governor lacked the political will to make a result oriented and genuine program to revive the dying Osun state Agriculture sector. Even if Agriculture sector is not the Governor’s favourite, it is still needed to be fixed
The outgrower program is a veritable policy that can be deployed and restructured to meet the reality on the ground. The previous government has deployed the outgrower program (OBOPS) in the production of chicken with a revolving loan, where each broiler farmer would be supplied with inputs such as day-old chicks, feeds, medication, and a buyback guarantee. This should not be new to the commissioner, as major exporters like WACOT and Starlink have deployed similar strategies in the cocoa value chain in Osun.
The state can also mobilize tractors from OSSADEC to clear significant hectares of arable land, thereby attracting eager youths to engage in farming. These efforts should be complemented by the provision of inputs, training, and extension services. Additionally, there is a pressing need to ensure the availability of low to medium horsepower tractors and farm implements across all farm settlements. Each local government should be mandated to procure tractors for agricultural purposes within their jurisdiction and revive the defunct local government area tractor hiring unit.
Urgently, the commissioner must devise a comprehensive program characterized by meticulous planning, precise execution, comprehensive monitoring and control, and results based on evidence. It is imperative that the state government allocates substantial funds to support this program and effectively oversees its implementation to enhance food production, significantly curtail inflation, and empower farmers, women, and youth in agriculture. These measures are crucial for revitalizing and rescuing the state’s dying agriculture sector.
Femi Adesola is an Agric & Export finance Analyst. He can be reached via [email protected]
