Oyo, Canadian investors sign MoU on mechanized agric.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a group of international investors from Canada on the development of mechanized agriculture, with a pledge that his administration would assist peasant farmers to boost agriculture in the state.

The governor, while speaking at the signing ceremony at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Ibadan on Thursday, said that the development was the outcome of his administration’s efforts at drawing foreign investors into the state.

He expressed his government’s determination to continue to collaborate with international investors on the need to boost the state’s economy through massive investment in core sectors.  

Governor Ajimobi, while reiterating his government’s commitment to an effective mechanized farming, said that all necessary machinery had been put in place to achieve this with a view to assisting peasant farmers to boost agricultural produce.

Part of these efforts, according to the governor, was the procurement of over 320 tractors which had been distributed to all the local government councils in the state to enhance agricultural activities.

Governor Ajimobi, who described the state as largely an agrarian society, said it was one of the largest cassava producing states, with the highest concentration of agricultural research institutes and farm settlements.

In his remarks, the Leader of the SGNT Group, Mr. Edward Udububa, expressed his group’s intention to partner with the state government in the area of large scale mechanized agriculture.

He said that there had been some understanding between his group and the state government on the need for them to work together for the economic development of the state.