Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun has approved the implementation of the Farmers’ Intervention Programme (FIP), focusing on subsidies of farm inputs for farmers in the state.

Spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, said this via a statement on Saturday in Osogbo.

The statement said the new intervention programme would cover subsidies on fertilisers and chemical inputs for farmers.

It said the government would subsidise the fertilisers and chemicals by more than 40 per cent of the price through direct purchases from the producers.

The statement said to safeguard the credibility of the programme, the farm inputs were to be branded with a project manager within the state’s agric sector, who would coordinate the marketing and distribution process.

According to the statement, the intervention is to develop into a revolving fund process such that the project’s sustainability is guaranteed.

The statement quoted the governor as saying: “this is the first of our interventions ahead of the new rainy season.

“My government will ensure that the subsidised inputs get to the farmers. This programme will positively touch the lives of our farming population.

“I will soon publicly flag off the programme statewide. We are an agrarian state.

“Easy availability of farm inputs is a major step forward. We are also working to drive investment into the sector through a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.”

(NAN)