Waku kicks off FUTA’s commercial farming

TO fulfill one of the core mandates of its establishment, the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, has commenced commercial farming.

Kicking off the initiative, the chairman of the governing council of the university; Senator Joseph Waku, described the exercise as a right step in the right direction, saying it would not only contribute to the banishment of hunger in and around FUTA and Akure environs, but would also boost the internally generated revenue of the university.

Senator Waku said that FUTA had again demonstrated its relevance to the society by taking its rightful position through aggressive production of agricultural produce for neighbouring communities and generating more revenue for the institution.

Through the exercise, he said peasant farmers would be educated on mechanised farming.

Speaking at the event, the vice chancellor, Professor Joseph Fuwape, thanked the council for approving the proposal to commercialise farming on campus.

He said because of the nature of the project and the enormous funds required, the management had resolved to initiate collaboration with stakeholders within and outside the university.

Corroborating the vice chancellor, the deputy vice chancellor [Development], Professor Philip Oguntunde, said in order to run the project independently and to be able to meet up with the financial requirement, all cooperative societies on campus are involved.

The farm is on 15 hectares of land and it will involve crop farming, hatchery, fishery and livestock production.

Speaking on the development, the dean School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology [SAAT], Professor Taiwo Amos, assured the governing council chairman and the university’s management that the project would be properly managed under the watch of the university’s Teaching and Research Farm to meet the expectations of the university and other stakeholders.

To practically demonstrate and declare the project open, Senator Waku, the vice chancellor and dean SAAT, Professor Taiwo Amos, did performed symbolic maize planting with the university’s mechanical maize planter, which is capable of planting and applying fertilizer to the crop simultaneously.

To manage the project, the university’s management has appointed Dr. O. P. Aiyelari as acting general manager, Farm Services Limited, and Dr. S. O. Aro as coordinator, Livestock Unit of the Farm Services Limited.