Towards the drive to actualise Ogun State’s vision of becoming Nigeria’s leading agricultural hub, the newly appointed Chairman of Ogun State Agro-Services Corporation, Henry Fagbenro, has unveiled a comprehensive blueprint aimed at achieving total food security and to boost commodity exports.

Addressing Journalists on plans after assuming office, Fagbenro stated  that his tenure was in full alignment with the massive agricultural master plan of Governor Dapo Abiodun, revealing that his first line of action involved  a State wide assessment tour of all the Corporation's facilities spread across the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to restore the Corporation’s dilapidated and encroached assets and  to ensure that every Zone was fully  prepared for the  emergence agricultural intervention.

The Chairman, expressed deep concern over the State of several Zonal Offices and farmlands, which had either been abandoned, rented out or illegally built upon during years of structural neglect.

He noted that in areas such as Ago-Iwoye, Ifo and Imeko, prompt administrative and legal actions were already on going to reclaim government land from encroachers and reposition the facilities for their original public mandates, adding that the Corporation was partnering closely with the State’s Ministry of Housing for the renovation of vital agricultural hubs, including key stations in Remo, Ikenne and Ilaro.

“The renovated structures will provide secure holding centers for heavy machinery and serve as accessible, one-stop service hubs where local farmers can directly engage with agricultural officers,” Fagbenro said.

He added that securing these premises aimed to prevent future encroachments, while establishing a dignified and highly motivated work environment for the workforce.

Fagbenro, commended Governor Dapo Abiodun’s visionary approach to infrastructure, noting that the newly established Gateway International Airport, combined with the dry ports at Papalanto and Kajola, were strategically designed to integrate seamlessly with the agricultural value chain.

He highlighted that major transport networks, including a planned railway link and crucial rural road projects like the Imasayi-Ilaro axis, were built specifically to ensure that harvested produce could move from the fields to local markets and also for export purposes without logistics bottlenecks or costly delays.

The Chairman disclosed that Governor Abiodun was scheduled to officially hand over a brand-new fleet of State-of-the-art tractors, planters and harvesters to the Corporation this month for onward deployment to various Local Government Zones.

Furthermore, he said high-yield seeds, fertilizers and agrochemicals would be distributed at heavily subsidised rates through the renovated zonal offices to shield farmers from the harsh realities of inflation.

He noted that to bridge the communication gap in remote villages that often lack reliable cellular network coverage, the Corporation would launch aggressive local communication campaign which included reviving popular vintage agricultural radio and television programmes to ensure that grassroots farmers remained fully informed about available government intervention

According to him, the Corporation is wrapping up plans to organise specialised seminars that would focus on modern marketing, technological adoption, proper, safe application of agrochemicals, noting that, equipping farmers with both material inputs and technical expertise would be one of the focal duties of the State Agro-Services Corporation so that  farmers  could have a  significant increase in  crop yields, lower market prices and successfully transit them  into exporters.