The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, formally flagged off the statewide Imole Agropreneur Model Project with a charge on the farmers that received allocated farmlands to be diligent and justify the trust repose in them.
Adeleke, while speaking in Imesi Ile at the flag off of the initiative, said his administration plans to replicate the project across the 30 Local Government Areas in the state.
The governor said under the initiative, interested youths and women would be provided opportunities to empower them for financial stability and to become productive contributors to the state’s economy.
Commenting further on the initiative, Adeleke said, “The programme also includes an off taking programme. A strong linkage is to be established between the agropreneurs and off takers of farm produce. This strategy will strengthen financial returns and sustainability of the model.
“I must also note that this programme has a strong public – private partnership content. Each local community is a partner with the government in the operations of this initiative. This is to ensure communal ownership.
“Additionally, this initiative is to create a starting point for micro agro – processing platforms with a target on export markets. It is our expectation that the agropreneur project will produce a new team of modern farmers with an eye on both local and international markets.
“It is now my honour to formally flag off the Statewide Imole Agropreneur Model Project. I hereby present these allocated farmlands to the beneficiaries. I urge you to seize this opportunity with diligence and commitment, as we look forward to replicating this initiative across all the Local Government Areas of Osun State.”
Earlier, while receiving the governor and entourage in his palace, the Owa Ooye of Imesi-Ile, Oba Enoch Akinyemi, commended Adeleke and prayed for the success of the initiative, assuring that the community would continue to support initiatives that could provide jobs and improve standard of living of the residents.
