Osun farmers get debit cards for farm inputs #nigeria #osun

The Osun State Government, on Wednesday, empowered
farmers in the state, as it rolled out debit cards expected to
give farmers direct and easy access to farm inputs like
improved seedlings, pesticide and fertilizers.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola who unveiled the cards,
distributed same to farmers at the official launch of
Farmers' Input and Credit Support Programme, held at its
distribution centre, AISU, Ede.
The facilities involves cash of between N100,000 and
N150,000 input credit facilities which will be repaid either in
cash by farmers after a year, or in kind using farm produce.
Governor Aregebsola said the task of arresting and
eradicating the scourge of hunger and poverty as well as
ushering in an era of agriculture-based prosperity for
farmers, the people and government, will continue to form
the fulcrum of his administration.
The governor noted that government has brought to bear all
technology- based methods for the enhancement of modern
agriculture, including the Geographical Information System
(GIS) and enumeration of farmers across the state.
Aregbesola promised that his government will vigorously
explore more ways of expanding and improving agricultural
production and the development of agro-allied industrial
base in his second term in office.
The debit card will make farming easier for those interested
in embracing farming and remove excruciating burden of
loans.
"We came up with the aide scheme in order to correct all
the anomalies that are inherent in the extant system of
agricultural input distribution, while the Credit Support
Programme is meant to boost the capacity of stakeholders
to play their roles properly towards the development and
modernisation of agriculture.
"We therefore embarked on a rigorous process of due
diligence by carefully and painstakingly conducting
enumeration of all farmers in the state. This led to the
registration of more than 50,000 farmers all over Osun,"
Aregbesola said.
The governor expressed confidence in the capacity of the
agricultural sector to deliver the goods, saying no wealth
can be created sufficiently without the sector.
Continuing, he expressed conviction "We are convinced that
there is immense potential in agriculture for job creation,
wealth generation, food security and poverty eradication.
"We will continue to vigorously explore more ways of
expanding and improving our agricultural production and
the development of our agro-allied industrial base.
"What we are doing today is continuation on the path we
have consciously taken since our assumption of office. This
is the empowerment of farmers and the development of
agriculture for the purpose of making food available in
abundance, first for feeding ourselves, then for feeding
others and ultimately, the development of agro-industries
for job creation and wealth generation for individuals and
the government."
In his earlier remarks, the Coordinator of Osun Rural
Enterprise and Agricultural Programme (OREAP), Dr.
Charles Akinola, noted that the farmers' input and credit
support programme is first of its kind in Nigeria.
He said the various assistance of Aregbesola's
administration to the farmers, which included provision of
farming input, land clearing and tractorisation, are aimed at
assisting farmers without stress.
For him also, "the delivery of farming inputs by the
government to farmers will in no small measures help in
massive food production in the state."