EKITI TRADITIONAL RULERS VISIT AGBEYEWA FARMS, LAUD MULTI-BILLION NAIRA INVESTMENT
The Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers has lauded the multi-billion-naira investment in the establishment of the expansive Agbeyewa farms in the state. The traditional rulers explained that the commitment of the chairman, Mr John Olajide, in the investment spanning across five different communities in Ikole Local Government Area of the state would significantly help in stimulating economic development and ending food insecurity in the country.
The chairman of the council and Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro stated this on Tuesday when he led over fifteen traditional rulers across the state on inspection of the farm in Ipao-Ekiti.
Those in the entourage included, ” the Onisan of Isan-Ekiti, Oba Ayodele Adejuwon; Obaleo of Erinmope Ekiti, Oba Aniyi Aikuirawo; Alaaye of Oke Ayedun, Oba Olufemi Aribisala; the Onire of Ire, Oba Adeleke Bobade; the Alasa of Ilasa Ekiti, Oba Ajayi Omolagba; the Olosan of Osan Ekiti, Oba Tajudeen Bamidele Jimoh; the Onifaki of Ifaki Ekiti, Oba Falore Adegbenro; Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Oluwole Ademolaju; and the Apeju of Ilupeju, Oba Sunday Akingbade.
Others are the Obanla of Ipao-Ekiti, Oba Williams Oluseyi; Olu of Itapaji-Ekiti, Oba Azeez Adebanjo; regent of Oke Ako, Tinuade Adebayo; regent of Esun Ekiti, Fisayo Akinola, and the father of the chairman of Agbeyewa Farms Limited, Pa Daniel Olajide.
Oba Ilori-Faboro expressed delight over the success achieved by the farm in less than three years of its existence, noting that the traditional institution in the state would collaborate with the management in changing the narratives in the agriculture value chain in the country especially in casava farming.
The first-class traditional ruler who acknowledged the quality and capacity of the management team assembled in running the affairs of the farm, said that every private investor and individual should emulate the chairman in his quest to providing employment opportunities and contributing to the economic growth of the state and the country.
He, however, appealed to the management to prioritize massive food production in a bid to solve the problem of shortage of food in the state.
According to him, ” I am not surprised by what we have seen in this farm today because we know the quality of the chairman of Agbeyewa Farms Limited, Mr John Olajide, who is doing well and making us proud as a state.
” We decided to visit here to see things for ourselves, and this is a massive farm and equally huge investment that would transform the communities here and Ekiti State at large. We all know the place of agriculture in our society, and for someone to commit so much money to establish this farm, it deserves commendation from us.”
The delegation was received by the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Oska Seyi Aiyeleso, the Director of Community Engagement, Alhaji Dauda Lawal, and other top management staff. Speaking, the Managing Director, Seyi Aiyeleso, commended the monarchs for the visit to the expansive farm, saying that the visit not only serves as a morale booster but reinforces the need for more collaboration with the traditional institution in achieving the company’s desired goals.
While eulogizing the efforts of the chairman in providing the enabling environment for the over 1,000 workforce, He said the farm is moving towards achieving the cultivation of 5,000 hectares of cassava plantation set as a target for 2025.
The MD/CEO reaffirmed the company’s commitment to becoming Africa’s leading agro-allied enterprise while fostering sustainable agricultural investments, strengthening communities, and transforming lives.
” Agbeyewa’s vision extends beyond farming. Our agro-processing plant will soon begin operations, producing high-quality cassava derivatives such as flour, starch, sorghum, ethanol, and electricity. The starch content of our cassava is 27% as against the general 22% in cassava across here. He stated,
“Inspired by the success of companies like Omnicane in Mauritius, which generates power from sugarcane, we aim to achieve even greater success with cassava.
“The potential is limitless, and Agbeyewa is committed to leading this transformation. Our business model revolves around cassava cultivation, aggregation, processing, and agro-trading, ” he said.
Aiyeleso, who acknowledged the top rating of the farm by stakeholders in the agriculture sector, revealed that the federal government has selected the farm as one of the centers for the cassava revolution in the country.