Reduction in prices of food commodities in Ekiti, testament to Oyebanji's impactful interventions - Agric commissioner.

Reduction in prices of food commodities in Ekiti, testament to Oyebanji's impactful interventions - Agric commissioner.

Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, has attributed the reduction in prices of food commodities in the state to Governor Biodun Oyebanji's impactful interventions in the agric sector. 

Boluwade said that the state is making tangible progress towards food security and that the state government's interventions are beginning to stabilise markets and reduction of food prices. 

The commissioner stated this, on Tuesday, in Ado-Ekiti, during the interactive S'etigbo multicast, anchored by the Bureau of Community Communications. 

According to him, "A lot has happened and we have data to support some of the impacts. The market is also getting a positive response and we have been having the slowest prices in food items for the past three or four months. This shows that our productivity is also increasing, food items are available and very well secured." 

He revealed that the state government has cleared over 5,000 hectares of land to support local farmers including subsidy of essential agricultural products adding that these efforts are geared towards transforming the agricultural sector from a primarily subsistence model to an export-driven industry.

He explained that in recognition of the state’s progress, the Federal Government has designated Ekiti as an agro-processing zone, a move that promises to further boost the local economy. 

The commissioner emphasised that the partnership between the state government and higher institutions in the state is aimed at fostering research and innovation in agriculture, creating job opportunities for young people by clearing thousands of hectares of land for farming and facilitating a sustainable job market for youth in the state.

The Agric commissioner said that the state is actively encouraging young people to venture into agriculture, with specific investments in poultry farming adding that it has already resulted in the establishment of nine poultry centers across the state, with plans to expand to two more.