Agric cluster collaborates with Federal Mortgage Bank to boost commercial farming

Tede community in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State in collaboration with Federal Mortgage Bank has made available 10,000 hectares of mechanisation-friendly land for farmers with farming infrastructure such as a dam and housing scheme.

Nigerian Tribune also gathered that Tede Agri Industrial Cluster has commenced farming operations on the land.’

The Project Administrator, Mr Ganiyu Adedeji, said the 10,000 hectares are available for real farmers from all over the country.

He said: “We are ready to contribute our quota to the food security of our country. This cluster will become a major hub for companies seeking raw materials like corn, cassava, sorghum, ginger, thyme, oil palm and several others.

“The cluster promises to be an all-year-round production hub with the commencement of construction for two dams to serve the farming cluster. Other features of the cluster include a 200-unit housing scheme being built in partnership with Federal Mortgage Bank and AG Mortgage Bank.”

Ganiyu explained that the housing units were being built with finance from the two banks and enlisted farmers are to pay back the loans over a period of up to 20 years. Other features of the cluster include the use of D-FAMA technology, an application deployed for precision farming.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

• ‘Officials initially offered to help but when the number of able-bodied citizens at the centre increased, they left us unattended to’
• Why Ogun Tops List Of ‘Yahoo Boys’ In Nigeria ― Governor Abiodun
• Police, Amotekun after criminals on Lagos-Ibadan expressway
• Suspected cannibal pays N500,000 for boy’s human organs, says ‘that’s my favourite meal, especially the throat’
• Court awards Nnamdi Kanu N1 billion over invasion of his home by military, asks FG to apologise

The Onitede of Tede, Oba AbdulRauf Oladoyin, made an open invitation to all farmers across several parts of the country to set up at the Tede Agri Cluster, saying, “Our community is safe and we are prepared to give all the support needed by the farmers to be successful in our midst.”

Oba Oladoyin pledged support for the project, saying it had come at a time when the country needs to produce more food for its increasing population.

Some farmers have already settled into the hub, A farmer who relocated from Ibadan to Tede for farming, Dimeji Adetunji, expressed satisfaction with the operations of the cluster.

“I have got 10 hectares of prepared farmland and my plan is to cultivate maize. There has been proposed training on crop yield, precision farming and also plans to introduce us to the buyers. This is really good for agriculture in our state,” said.

He enjoined other farmers to participate and contribute their quotas to the agro-industrial development of the country as demand for food increases and production shrinks following widespread insecurity, especially in the northeast and northwest parts of the country.