A consultancy agency, Klick Connect Network, in support of the agriculture program in Ondo State, has distributed tractors to farmers in the state to boost cassava production.
The project tagged: ‘Cassava Revolution to Ethanol project (CASSAREV)’ is aimed at boosting the production and value chain of cassava for the economic development of the state.
This was disclosed by Chief Alexander Ajipe, the Chief Executive Officer of the company while addressing newsmen at the Correspondent chapel in Akure.
He explained that “CASSAREV is a value chain program set up to discover the various benefits that cassava has toward the economic development of the state.”
According to him, the project was initiated to supply sufficient raw materials to the existing ethanol factory in the state as well as boosting human capital development.
He disclosed that no fewer than 2,434 cassava farmers had been engaged for Phase I of the project.
Chief Ajipe said: “We have distributed 10 brand new tractors to our farmers across the 18 local government areas of the state. We will also provide herbicides and seedlings for them. Their duty is just to supervise the farm. At the end of the day, we will buy the cassava from them at the international market price.
“We are also going to build a modular processing factory in Ore, Igbara-Oke, and Ifon for the farmers so that they won’t have any problem in terms of processing it.
“This is a good opportunity for our teeming youth, all that they need is to come to Klick Connect office to register, which is free, we will give them all the necessary support from the beginning to the end by providing seedlings, tractor, herbicides and other tools including security so that there won’t be any issue of herdsmen grazing on their farms.
“Their duty is just to supervise the farm and during harvesting, we will buy the cassava from them at an international market price.”
He, therefore, charged youths in the state and other interested people to key into the programme to bridge the deficit in cassava production in the state.