The Ogun State Government has disbursed agricultural inputs valued at N5.4 billion to farmers under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Programme (OGSTEP), aimed at increasing food production and encouraging private sector involvement in the state’s agricultural, industrial, and vocational sectors.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Bolu Owotomo, during a press briefing held on Monday in Abeokuta.
OGSTEP is a key initiative designed to revitalise the state’s economy by enhancing productivity and creating sustainable livelihoods through targeted interventions.
Owotomo noted that Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration, through OGSTEP, had significantly boosted agricultural output by providing extensive support to farmers across the state.
“By equipping farmers with inputs worth billions of naira, we anticipate the production of approximately 318,000 tonnes of various commodities. So far, we have harvested 65,000 tonnes, with an additional 92,000 tonnes already in progress,” he said.
The Commissioner projected that participating farmers could generate around N15.9 billion in revenue from their harvests under the programme.
Providing further details, Owotomo stated that the Ministry of Agriculture had registered over 160,000 farmers across Ogun, with more than 40,900 of them organised into 2,537 cooperatives.
He revealed that 22,000 farmers have so far received direct input support under OGSTEP. In addition, 16,000 farmers have benefited from state-led capacity-building initiatives, while 34,000 have been matched with offtakers to facilitate the sale of their produce.
Owotomo reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to enhancing food security, assuring that more agricultural interventions were planned and would reach farmers across all 20 local government areas.
