Ekiti State Commits ₦2.2 Billion To Boost Food Security, Livestock Production

News in Brief: - Ekiti State has committed ₦2.2 billion to boost food security and livestock production. - This includes ₦1 billion for land preparation, input supply, and supporting small-scale farmers, and ₦1.2 billion from the World Bank's L-PRES project to transform the livestock sector. Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has announced a significant investment of ₦2.2 billion to bolster food security and transform the livestock sector in the state. The commitment includes ₦1 billion allocation to improve food production through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security's initiatives. This will focus on land preparation using a tractorisation subsidy scheme and an input supply program tailored to support small-scale farmers. Also, another ₦1.2 billion is dedicated to transforming the livestock subsector. This funding comes from the first tranche of the World Bank-financed Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project. These investments are expected to significantly contribute to enhancing food production. It is also meant to support small-scale farmers, modernising the livestock sector in Ekiti State.

Addressing economic hardship in Ekiti State

The intervention forms part of relief efforts by the government of Ekiti State to mitigate the effects of hardship being experienced in the country. This is from a ₦12 billion economic relief package to address the challenges faced by various citizen groups. While ₦2.7 billion is meant to clear one month of salary arrears owed to state and local government workers, another increased monthly subvention of N600 million is set for autonomous institutions. Governor Oyebanji's commitment highlights the state government's focus on ensuring food security and fostering agricultural development.