Innovations in Agriculture Earns Aregbesola Another Award In Rwanda

In recognition of his quest to enhance wealth through massive increase in food production and agriculture, the governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Wednesday bagged an Award in Rwanda for his sterling performance in Agriculture.
The governor was presented with an award for “Innovative Agricultural Policy and Practice for Inclusive AgriBusiness Development in Africa” at the EMRC AgriBusiness Forum 2013 held at the Serena Hotel, Kigali Rwanda.
The AgriBusiness Forum 2013 with the theme “The Agri-Food sector: A catalyst for sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Africa was co-organised by EMRC and Rwanda Ministry for Agriculture and Animal Resources. The Rwandan Prime Minister, Mr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi who was the Guest of Honour in his keynote address stressed that no nation can be said to be developed without it developing its Agriculture.
He urged participants at the forum not to treat with kids glove the deliberation on the importance of Agriculture and Agric Business for development of Africa.
“This forum must be at his best to spotlights the important business opportunities agriculture and agribusiness can provide Sub-Saharan Africa. The Agri-Food sector must be a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive growth in Africa, therefore all hands must be on deck to ensure that investors come to Sub-Sahara of Africa.” Habumuremyi pointed out.
EMRC presenting the Project Incubator Award to Aregbesola who is one of the recipients for his effort at developing Agriculture in the state of Osun held that after carefully studying the state’s exploit in Agriculture, it decided to honour the governor.
The governor in his determination to frontally engage the social cankers of poverty, hunger, and unemployment started the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme(O’REAP) to train youth in farming.
A total of 610 O’YES Cadets were trained last year at the O’REAP Youth Academy Farm Centres located across the nine Federal Constituencies in the state, with selected participants at 20 per Local Government and 10 from Ife East Area Office.
This year’s edition of the O’REAP Youth Academy, witnessed a significant rise in the number of youth participants, each of the 332 wards in the state is fairly represented with three O’YES Cadets per ward, accounting for 996 Cadets to be trained in modern agriculture at the nine training centres of the O’REAP Youth Academy.
The commitment of the governor to raise agriculture from subsistence to mechanised farming is one of the major reasons for sending 40 youths to Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
According to the governor, this training is in continuation of government’s drive to revolutionise agriculture in the state under the O’REAP and boost food productions for local consumption as well as export.
The administration is providing the necessary infrastructure and support for farmers with inputs, which requires supplying them with inputs such as improved seedlings, fertiliser and fumigants among others; giving them hundreds of thousand of already prepared hectares of land.