COVID: 20,000 Oyo farmers to get World Bank intervention

Thousands of farmers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Oyo will receive the state government’s intervention sponsored by the World Bank.

The $750 million World Bank-funded project allows state governments in Nigeria to access funds for budgeted programmes targeted at responding to the economic impact of COVID-19.

The aim is to protect livelihoods and ensure food security for poor and vulnerable families, while facilitating the recovery of local economic activities in all participating states in Nigeria.

In Oyo, the project is coordinated by the state’s agribusiness development agency (OYSADA), headed by Debo Akande.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative, tagged ‘Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (CARES)’, held at the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology in Igbo Ora, Seyi Makinde, the state governor, said the programme will benefit vulnerable crop and poultry farmers in the 33 council areas and 35 local council developing areas.

He noted that the selected farmers who were affected by the COVID-19 crisis will receive agricultural stimulus packages composed of fertilisers, herbicides and climate-resilient seeds which are high yielding.

“Smallholder farmers are important to us, because they are the custodians of our food. The government is encouraging private investors to provide heavy-duty equipment for smallholder farmers at a cheaper rate to make farming activities less tedious for them and encourage them to expand their farmlands,” Makinde said.

Speaking at the launch, Akande, the OYSADA director-general and programme coordinator, said a similar intervention initiated by the state supported over 9,000 vulnerable farmers affected by the pandemic.