Ogun State has commenced rice production with the harvest of a 200-

hectare rice farm at Magboro in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area.

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, kicked off the harvest and highlighted

the state’s achievement of a milestone in becoming a rice-producing state

said, the Ogun State rice production effort is driven by the Ogun State

Economic Transformation Project and supported by the World Bank to

stimulate economic growth and development, and hailed the achievement of

producing locally grown rice as placing Ogun State on par with other rice-

producing states including Lagos, Kebbi, and Bayelsa.

This is a developmental step towards food security, creation of employment

opportunities, and improving the livelihoods of residents within the state,

adding that, the farm has a yielded seven metric tonnes per hectare,

potentially translating to 1,400 metric tonnes of milled rice from the 200

hectares, with an efficiency yield of about 70 per cent, adding that the rice

farm could result in approximately 20,000 bags of milled rice per cycle,

valued at around N1billion and if replicated three times annually, the project

could generate N3bn in revenue.

He also said, the Agricultural Sector Intervention would offer crucial support

to farmers, including advanced agricultural techniques, access to quality

seeds, as well as modern irrigation systems, and technical training at a 65 per

cent discount on mechanization costs.

Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo,

and Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo, commended the farmers

for their dedication, stressing that, the project is integral to the state’s

agenda of producing food locally to feed its population, while, the Project

Coordinator, Mosun Owo-Odunsi, highlighted the project’s goal of producing

high-quality rice and its positive impact on citizens across various sectors.