Osun Govt Empowers Rice Farmers

… Commissions farmer’s house

OSUN state Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to agricultural transformation and food sufficiency during the distribution of free inputs to rice farmers in the state.

The governor also commissioned the Osun State Farmers’ House, in an event held at the state capital, Osogbo, on Thursday.

While addressing the farmers, Governor Adeleke declared that agriculture remains the backbone of the state’s economy and one of the five pillars of his development agenda.

He stated ,“Agriculture is our history and our future. Thousands depend on it daily for survival and prosperity. This administration is committed to making farming profitable by providing inputs, infrastructure, and the right environment for growth”.

He highlighted interventions already delivered under his government, including the distribution of pigs, broiler chicks, fertilisers, cassava stems, cash crop seedlings, and vegetable seeds. He recalled the procurement of 31 tractors distributed across the nine federal constituencies, as well as the Osun Broilers Out-growers Production Scheme and support for pig farmers, including women, youths, and persons with disabilities.

The Governor further noted the government’s investments in rural infrastructure through the Osun-CARES initiative, which has delivered multiple road projects across Oriade, Olorunda, Boluwaduro, Ayedire, Ejigbo, and Ede North, in addition to rural access projects, irrigation facilities, and storage infrastructure.

Beyond infrastructure, Adeleke stressed the importance of farmers training, capacity building, trade opportunities, and market access. He assured the gathering that over 300 rice farmers across the state would go home with free paddy rice seeds to boost production.

“This is just the beginning, we will not relent until food sufficiency becomes a reality for every household in Osun,” Adeleke assured, while also urging farmers and citizens to register and vote in 2026 to sustain the gains of his administration.

Also at the event , the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Tola Faseru, outlined additional interventions undertaken by the ministry, including the distribution of 6,000 packs of vegetable seedlings, 8,000 litres of herbicides, 8,000 cassava cuttings, 8,000 cashew seedlings, and fertilisers to farmers across the state under the Osun Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (OS-CARES) programme.

According to Faseru , the ministry had trained youths, women, and persons with disabilities in pig production, providing them with working tools, feeds, and stipends, while also embarking on sensitisation on the benefits of backyard farming.

Other initiatives include the resuscitation of the Agriculture-in-Schools programme and the construction of abattoirs in Iwo, Oriade, and Irepodun local government areas.

He praised the state for being recognised as the most peaceful in the country in terms of farmland protection and farmer-herder relations. The commissioner also disclosed that 10 rice farmers were selected from each of the 30 local government areas, making up the 300 beneficiaries of the current input distribution.

On PVC Registration

The Governor and Commissioner urged citizens to ensure they register their voters card and to support Adeleke’s re-election in 2026 for continuity of the state’s agricultural transformation.