Agboola Bayo
Ibadan
Oyo state government yesterday declared that about 250,000 hectares of arable land has been earmarked for farming as agricultural zone for the use of farmers in the state.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prince Oyewumi Oyewole, made this known while speaking on a radio programme in Ibadan on the state government’s efforts towards boosting agriculture in and across the nooks and crannies of the state.
He stressed that the zero tolerance policy of the present administration in the state was also meant to attract foreign investors to the state.
The commissioner said over 500 farmers have applied for the use of land to be allocated for free by the state government to boost agricultural produce in the state, explaining that the Zero Tolerance policy of the present administration in the state on fallow agricultural farm land is aimed at encouraging mechanized farming by every individual.
He added that the state government would not revoke the ownership of the land but rather create the enabling environment that would encourage farming, stressing that the state government’s policy is to enhance socio-economic growth in the state and that aside from farming, the zero land policy will also create job opportunities for youths and boost the economy of the state as well as the country.
