The Ekiti Government has set up storage facilities in different parts of the state

Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, said the aim was for the government to buy farm produce from farmers during harvest season and store them for release during periods of scarcity.

The governor led some officials on an inspection of one of the storage facilities in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

According to Mr Oyebanji, building storage facilities is one of his administration’s plans to avert the food scarcity that was experienced in the state in 2024.

He said that his government’s immediate focus was to address food shortages, reduce post-harvest losses, and ensure food sufficiency all year round in the state.

Speaking shortly after the inspection, Mr Oyebanji said the initiative was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to governors to prioritise food security as a critical step in combating hunger across the country.

He said that the state cultivated over 6,000 hectares of farmland in 2024, adding that the warehouse for storing food crops was a major challenge, hence his administration’s resolve to provide storage facilities in 2025.

The facilities, according to him, will help in regulating prices of food items in case of food scarcity.

The governor expressed delight that a large chunk of the farm produce was bought from young farmers under the Bring Back Youth in Agriculture programme.

He assured of his administration’s commitment to alleviating hunger and achieving food security in the state.

“We promised the state good governance, and the president directed that each state should embark on a strategy of food security. In Ekiti in the last year, we have started with phase one of a very deliberate attempt to ensure that we prow ourselves out of hunger. Last year, we cumulatively cultivated over 6,000 hectares of land in the state, and they were all planted,” the governor stated.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, said the goal was not only to tackle hunger but to also create opportunities for the youth in agriculture.

Mr Boluwade said that the government would encourage farmers, particularly the youth in agriculture, to increase their production, knowing that the government was willing and ready to buy from them.

(NAN)