Ogun State is making remarkable strides in agriculture, particularly in rice production, as Governor Dapo Abiodun announced the successful harvest from a pilot project initiated in May 2024.
The project, which aimed to boost the state’s rice output and empower local farmers, has yielded impressive results.
The pilot program, which covered 200 hectares of land, utilized the outgrower model, wherein each participant, predominantly youth and women with no prior farming experience, was allocated one hectare.
By August 2024, the project had yielded a bountiful harvest of 7 metric tons per hectare, totaling approximately 1,400 metric tons of rice. This impressive yield is set to produce around 20,000 bags of milled rice, generating an estimated revenue of one billion Naira every three months.
Governor Abiodun emphasized the transformative impact of this project on the local community.
“These farmers, mostly youth and women who had never farmed before, are now part of a transformative project,” he stated. The project not only provides a sustainable livelihood for these new farmers but also positions Ogun State as a significant player in Nigeria’s quest for food security.
Buoyed by the success of this pilot, the Ogun State government is now planning to upscale the initiative. The expansion will see the cultivation area increase to between 2,000 and 5,000 hectares, with projections indicating that this could bring in approximately 10 to 25 billion Naira per quarter in revenue.
As the project scales, Ogun State’s role in Nigeria’s agricultural landscape is set to grow substantially.
“Ogun State is ready to feed the nation!” declared Governor Abiodun, signaling the state’s commitment to becoming a major contributor to the country’s rice supply and overall food security.
With plans underway for large-scale expansion, Ogun State is poised to lead the way in transforming agriculture into a cornerstone of its economy.
