The government of the Netherlands has expressed a willingness to collaborate with the Ogun State government to ensure food security through improved vegetable production. First Secretary for Food Security and Climate from the Dutch Embassy in Lagos, Marisha Lammers, disclosed this at a meeting in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital. It was said during a visit of the state delegation, comprising the state Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo; his counterpart in agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina, other senior government officials and representatives of the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC).
Lammers said the partnership would also be extended to Kano, Kaduna and Oyo States, adding that the initiative would provide technical and financial supports to not less than 2,000 vegetable farmers. “It is about increasing productivity of small holder farmers in the partnering states. We are focusing on green-house farming as pilot production innovation system in Ogun and Oyo States, facilitating access to finance as we plan to link farmers and other value-chain actors to financial institutions.”
Okubadejo maintained that governor Dapo Abiodun's administration was poised to achieve food security and continue to collaborate with individuals and groups to further develop its agriculture sector. The commissioner added: “Ogun State is the place to be, because we have over 70 percent of our land suitable for agriculture, combined with our proximity to Lagos. We have a very big agenda in agriculture based on our competitive and comparative advantages.”
Source: thisdaylive.com