Aare Afe Babalola, the Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, has urged state governments to assist farmers by providing mechanized farming equipment to address food insecurity nationwide. Babalola emphasized the importance of farmers embracing modern technologies for increased farm produce to ensure food security.
During the grand finale of the 9th edition of the Afe Annual Farmers Exhibition (formerly known as Aare Afe Babalola Agric Expo) in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, the ABUAD founder made this appeal. He called upon the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, as well as the 16 local government authorities in the state, to support farmers by providing agricultural tools and machinery for their use.
Babalola said, “How many of us can buy modern equipment? The modern equipment enables rich and highly educated people to engage in large-scale modern agriculture, whereas, in Nigeria, we continue to use cutlasses and hoes, thereby engaging in small-scale farming.
“State governments should assist and advise local councils to purchase agricultural implements for farmers to hire.
“We must put pressure on the government to advise the Bank of Industry and Bank of Agriculture to assist farmer cooperative societies. The Federal Government should please encourage banks to give soft loans to agricultural cooperative societies.
“Farmers must form cooperative societies and use their lands as security to obtain soft loans from the Bank of Agriculture. The said cooperative societies can then buy modern agricultural implements which farmers can hire to enable them to engage in modern agriculture.”
He doled out N11.2 million to farmers who performed best across the 16 local government areas in the state as part of his contribution to the agricultural sector.
Giving the breakdown of the cash prizes, each local government in Ekiti State received a total sum of N575,000 which was shared among five winners, amounting to N9.2 million across the 16 council areas.
Another N2 million was presented to the Overall Best Farmer of Year 2023, Abiodun Olasebikan, from Ijero Local Government for his outstanding performance and contribution to the agricultural sector.
Other highlights include the empowerment of 32 youths on entrepreneurial skills and, the presentation of awards to notable individuals, where the Aare Afe Babalola, was awarded as an “Outstanding Farmer” for his contribution to agrarian and agroforestry farming.
In his goodwill message, the representative of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO, Abuja, Olagunju Idowu hailed Afe Babalola’s strides towards the realisation of social development goals 2030.
“For being in the forefront of eradicating hunger in Ekiti State. The state has been outstanding in the whole of Africa for its quest towards the eradication of hunger,” he commended.
He urged Nigerian youths to invest in agriculture.
