By Rotimi Ojomoyela, Ado-Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, said his administration will partner with the federal government to boost agriculture and trade for the economic growth of the state.

Oyebanji, who disclosed this in his 2024 New Year State statewide broadcast in Ado-Ekiti, reiterated the commitment of his administration towards addressing critical challenges in the agriculture and trade sector. 

According to Oyebanji, the state government is working towards ensuring that farmers become more prosperous, adding that agriculture and trade remain the mainstays of the state’s economy.

He called on Ekiti people to be optimistic in 2024 while assuring that the state would witness massive improvements in security, infrastructure, and government services.

“As a government, we understand the socioeconomic importance of agriculture and trade to the total economic profile of our state. Agriculture and trade remain the mainstays of our economy, contributing about 80% to our GDP. We are addressing critical challenges associated with poor yield, access to credit, and land clearing, among others, to make the sector more attractive.

“The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in conjunction with the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry, is working on a programme that will solve some of these challenges. They are currently talking to the stakeholders, including traditional rulers, about the implementation of cluster farming arrangements that will guarantee access to resources and markets. Our target is that by the end of this year, our farmers will have become more prosperous than they have ever been.

“Availability of potable water remains a challenge in the state, despite our efforts in the rehabilitation of our water dams and water infrastructure across the state. While a significant milestone has already been attained, there is still a lot to be done to ensure the dividend of the investment in water assets gets to our people.

“The government has therefore allocated a significant sum of money to ensure that some of the challenges mitigating the constant supply of pipe-borne water are addressed in the current year. We will also collaborate with LGAs and LCDAs to ensure that rural communities are not left out.

“In the meantime, interventions in form of borehole provision are being undertaken across our LGAs/LCDAs to lessen the problem of access to water.

“Let me specially appreciate Ekiti workers for their cooperation, dedication, and understanding since the beginning of this administration. There is no doubt that things are tough for our workers with the hyperinflation that the economy has witnessed in the last year.

“As a government, we are looking at the best way to ameliorate the impact of the erosion of the purchasing power of the naira; yet, we are very careful not to accost the challenge with emotional response that may become unsustainable.

“As government, we are very hopeful that the economic outlook of the nation will be stable and some of the macroeconomic policy will begin to yield the desired results. We are very optimistic that 2024 will be a year of positive economic recovery for the country. Ekiti is going to witness massive improvements in security, infrastructure, and government services than we have ever seen.”

Vanguard News