To improve on  the strides it had made in the agricultural sector, the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration has entered into partnership with the Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and Sterling Bank to develop 1,500 hectares of farmland in various locations across the state.

Acting governor Philip Shaibu disclosed this yesterday when a NISRAL team visited him at the Government House in Benin City. He assured farmers in the state of adequate incentives to boost their productivity.

Shaibu said that the state government was committed to the partnership to ensure that farmers get the financial support to fast-track the introduction of mechanised farming in the state.

He said: “I commend the banking sector for coming to the rescue of the agricultural sector. They are making the process of introducing farmers to new techniques and technologies easy. This will help in boosting productivity.”

The acting governor added that the state government designed an entrepreneur programme for youths, which will help in grooming them for profitable agribusiness.

The special adviser to the governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Hon. Joe Okojie, reiterated that agriculture remains the easiest and fastest way to create wealth, noting that “people don’t pay attention to agriculture in this country, but this system seems different in the sense that it is going to be strictly mechanised.

We aggregate all the farmers; link them to funding, inputs and markets.”