Edo state to create 1,000 jobs through Agriculture

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki

In a bid to tackle unemployment in the state through agriculture, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has launched 1, 000 hectares of cleared field for maize production in Sobe Farm Settlement  in Owan West Local government of the state.

in his speech during the inauguration, the governor noted that the maize cultivation, was part of his administration’s strategies to tackle unemployment in the state.

Governor Obaseki stated that the first phase of the initiative would target job creation for 1,000 farmers through the cultivation of 5, 000 hectares of maize farms across the councils in the state.

“Today is the first step towards actualizing the 200,000 jobs promised by my administration. If we invest in agriculture, we can do more than 200,000 jobs in Edo and Nigeria as a whole,” he said.

The governor who observed that land preparation was a major challenge in the state, said that the initiative was in partnership with Saro AgroSciences ltd, which would provide technical support for the programme.

Corroborating the statement of the governor on the scheme, the Group Managing Director of Saro AgroSciences, Mr Oluwole Adeyebe, explained that the scheme was aimed at a minimum of four metric tonnes of maize yield per hectare, which would be bought directly from the farmers.