Ooni Of Ife Calls On Traditional Rulers To Support Agricultural Investment

News in Brief: - The Ooni of Ife called upon traditional rulers to support agricultural investment in Nigeria, emphasising the role of land provision to combat hunger and youth unemployment. - He praised the Agbeyewa Farms as a model for transformative agricultural investment and urged community support for its success. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II), has urged traditional rulers to actively support agricultural investment to combat hunger and youth unemployment. The monarch made this known during a visit to the Agbeyewa Farms in Itapaji-Ekiti, a multi-billion Naira agricultural venture. He noted the importance of traditional rulers providing land to credible investors, particularly in the agricultural sector. Also, the monarch expressed admiration for the scale of the Agbeyewa Farms, describing it as the largest cassava farm he had ever seen in Nigeria, with more than 5,000 hectares under cultivation. He also stated that it is a transformative investment with the potential to significantly impact the region. He commended the farm owners, Cavista Holdings, for their visionary leadership and commitment to community development.

Addressing youth unemployment

Additionally, Oba Ogunwusi highlighted the critical need to address youth unemployment, stressing that gainful employment is crucial for the well-being and security of the community. He stressed the importance of community support for the Agbeyewa Farms project, warning against any actions that could hinder its success. According to him, the project addresses our critical challenges of hunger and unemployment. Furthermore, the Ooni urged stakeholders to move beyond discussions and take decisive action to address these critical challenges. Meantime, the Executive Director of Agbeyewa Farms outlined the company's ambitious plans to establish Africa's best agro-allied cassava processing plant, covering 10,000 hectares of land. The accompanying traditional rulers expressed their gratitude to the Ooni for prioritising the visit, describing it as a demonstration of his exemplary leadership. Recently, Agbeyewa Farms Limited unveiled a 12-point agenda to transform cassava farming in Nigeria. This initiative was commended by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Effectively, this plan outlines a cooperative farming model involving 1,500 farmers across 10 cooperatives, to benefit 7,500 individuals. The company is seeking investment from international donors to support various aspects of its operations, including farmer training, infrastructure development, and market integration.