World Food Day: Oyo celebrates farmers’ resilience despite natural production impediments

Oyo State government has celebrated farmers in the State on the commemoration of the World Food Day, saying that farmers have shown resilience in the face of unfriendly weather and national security concerns.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Adeniyi Olabode Adebisi, who spoke on behalf of the State government, assured residents of the State of food sufficiency irrespective of climatic factors which affect farm production.

Adebisi gave the assurance in commemoration of the 2022 World Food Day themed: “Leave No One Behind”, in a signed statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday, indicating the day as one of the most celebrated day by the United Nations which is saddled with world affairs.

He added in the statement that food, clothing and shelter were the basic necessities of life and if food is excluded might lead to famine and chaos in any society.

He however expatiated that due to availability of large arable land mass in the State, the administration, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde has embarked upon expansion of the economy through agribusiness, Security, Health; and Education, urging farmers to continue adopting the State Government’s approach to agriculture for sustenance and productivity.

According to him, “the Nigerian economy has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 which was an abnormal year due to the lockdown imposed for safety, but nevertheless, the State Government under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde has been working tirelessly to stabilize all sectors.

“The period posed a great challenge to all public officers who had to adjust their live styles to avoid famine which is the overall effect of unavailability of food, today Oyo State has shown other States good examples of how to survive global economic hardship by using agriculture as a succor and this is reflected in the theme of this year’s World Food Day as no one has been left behind in the journey to navigate through global economic hardship to prosperity in our State.

“We are using this period to appreciate our farmers for their resilience in the face of the aforementioned crisis as their contributions towards surviving the trial period and coming out to be one of the best States with the best revenue generation cannot be undervalued,” he mentioned.

The Commissioner also noted that trainings have been held for farmers who in turn enlightened others about the need to improve productivity by applying necessary inputs including fertilizers to their farms to yield high volume of produce.

Globally, millions of people celebrate the World Food Day by organizing fora on sensitization on eating balanced diet, especially in Nigeria where inflation and high cost of food are causing hunger and malnutrition and the Northern area of the country where insurgency has affected free conduct of economic activities like farming and trading.

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