Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has revived farm settlements initiative in the state with the commissioning of three of the six Renewed Hope Farm Dormitories built for young farmers in different farm clusters in the state.
Oyebanji, who hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his initiative that encourages farming, promised to tackle head on, those he described as unscrupulous elements and criminally minded individuals, who were determined to sabotage his efforts and make farming difficult in the state.
He spoke while commissioning the Farm Dormitory located at Eporo Ekiti, Emure Local Government Area, yesterday to mark the third anniversary of his administration.
The Governor also commissioned the ones built at Iyemero and Ikere Ekiti, which are targeted at increasing food production and reducing food prices in the state.
Oyebanji, represented by his Deputy, Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye, said that, besides reviving the moribund farm settlements built by the administration of the Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, another 13 had been created to provide comfort to the youth farmers in their farming areas.
He described the Renewed Hope farm settlement as being outstanding on the strength of involving technology for agricultural planning and innovation to attract youth as well as partnership with firms to ensure that Ekiti contributes to food production and food surplus that can guarantee security in the country.
He said that with the farm dormitory project, the rural economy can be stimulated, especially with modular irrigation provided to enable all the youth farmers to work around the year and secure their future through financial gains that can support their families.
“Today, the dormitories we’re commissioning in Eporo, Emure and Iyemero are built to provide convenient abodes, so that the youth farmers can enjoy the comfort of the city and they won’t be distracted from their main focus.
“As of now, about 5,000 youths have been employed through this initiative. The rural economy has been stimulated, while our youths are now more than ready to go into farming.
“We’re not unaware of the activities of the unscrupulous elements who wanted to sabotage our efforts. I’m assuring you that I’ll work with security agencies to secure all the farm settlements, so that you can work and live here without any harassment or fear of being kidnapped”.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade, stated that the building at Eporo Ekiti can accommodate approximately 200 farmers and features facilities such as solar power lights and generating sets to ensure a consistent supply of light and water, providing the necessary comfort.
Boluwade said the farm settlement has about 300 hectares of land allocated to the youth farmers, which has helped to mitigate the menace of kidnapping and banditry that were common in the area before the positive change in events.
To further strengthen farming and production, the Commissioner added that the Agric Transformation Centre, worth over N20 million, with modern facilities, will be sited at the Emure-Eporo axis to further radicalize agriculture, saying the project will contain poultry, pet house, and other farming sectors that will add value to the state.
He appealed to the young farmers to make the most of the opportunity provided by the state government, saying that Ekiti’s rise to a food security status remains the focus of the current government.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the YSJ Farms, Mrs. Oluwayemisi Joluwe, revealed that the young farmers being guided by the firm made a profit margin of N800 million between 2024 and now, saying efforts are on to increase to a sum of N1 billion before the end of the 2025 farming season.
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