In this piece, AYODELE ADUWO examines the factors joining forces to drive food inflation in Oyo State

It was midday with the sun casting hot shadow on the ambience in a market located in Bodija area in the Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State. Four buyers with roomy, almost empty shopping bags were seen requesting prices of fresh tomatoes in sturdy baskets.

Only some of the buyers waited for further haggling when they were told the prices. Others quickened their steps, with eyes focused on other sellers displaying potatoes, yams, bags of rice, beans, onions and other food commodities in the ear splitting market.

But more noticeable scenes stood out. Some traders camped in ramshackle shops and stalls sought customers, scanning every passer-by with probing eyes suggesting requests for patronage. Some were chatty, others simply gestured. It was a game of business shrewdness between buyers and sellers. Long faces and cherry smiles emerged in the long run depending on how the transactions ended.  

The Peoples Gazette findings showed that in May 2025, food prices in Oyo State were at sustained heights, with market prices reflecting what buyers and sellers contended with since the first quarter of 2025. 

Staple foods, and other essentials, were at alarming rates, particularly in comparison with prior costs. In May, imported rice was N2,400 per congo (a sizeable tin); a similar measure of beans was N1,500. 

A 75cl bottle of palm oil was sold for N1,700, while the same unit of groundnut oil went for N2,000. A congo of garri (a staple food) was sold for N700, while three tubers of yams were N6,500. A bucket of red pepper was sold for N12,000, with the same unit of tomatoes costing N7,000.

This situation reflects the costs of food prices in many states in Nigeria amid growing inflation driven largely by removal of fuel subsidy, fuel price hike and harsh economic policies embarked upon by the President Bola Tinubu administration which celebrated two years of its first four years on May 29, 2025. 

Traders express frustration amid hikes in food prices 

 A pepper vendor at Bodija market identified only as Mrs Sarumi, said the prolonged wait for potential buyers frequently resulted in her tomatoes and pepper perishing, leading to incalculable losses. 

She blamed the increase in food prices on hike in fuel prices, describing the situation as distressing. 

She identified a lack of government support to cushion the effects of rising food costs, bemoaning current inflationary pressures on buyers and sellers. 

Mrs Sarumi stated, “It is tiring. Tomatoes and peppers are expensive. Compared to six months or a year ago, prices have changed. A bucket of red pepper is now N12,000 and for tomatoes, it is N7,000. Security and transportation costs to transport farm produce from the North to the South impacted both buying and expected profits. There is no money to sell our goods. Fuel price increase affected the business.”

Also expressing their views on the development in separate interviews with our correspondent, two yam dealers based in Ibadan and Oke-Ogun areas of the state, noted that inflation ate profits accruing from sales. 

In his narration, a wholesaler of farm produce at the Bodija market, Simeon Adebayo, noted that despite seasonal supply of yams from top-producing states such as Benue and Oyo, residents’ purchasing power had dropped drastically.

He noted that three tubers of yam sold for N6, 500 are not enough for a family of five in a single meal. 

He said, “This type of yam did not cost as much last December. The price in May should be lower than in July. Being a seasonal crop, the more scarce it is, the more the price increases. The unpredictable change in weather conditions is also responsible for pricy prices of yams. 

“Second, the government has not rekindled interest in farming. Insecurity and lack of incentives for farmers have reduced interest in agriculture. Provision of boreholes, electricity, credit loans and distribution of inputs to farmers should be prioritized. If left unaddressed, the situation will worsen.”

Dwelling on the insecurity threatening farming across the country especially in Benue State where over 200 residents of Yelwata were murdered and gunmen turning Plateau State to a killing field, Mr Adebayo decried that food crisis might worsen if nothing was done to end the orgy of violence and support farmers contributing to food security in the country. 

A Saki, Oyo State-based trader who sells farm produce in retail, identified only as Mrs Olowo, said three tubers of yams go for N7,000, despite the cultivation of the crop in Oyo State.

She stated that hike in fuel price and insecurity further exacerbated economic hardship for Nigerians already stressed by harsh government policies. 

Mrs Olòwò explained, “Most farmers complain about the cost of transportation to get the food items to the market. They also pay different levies before the crops get to the wholesaler who also pays levies and distributes to retailers like us. In the distribution chain, everyone is levied. With this scenario, the prices of commodities are bound to increase especially when sold at different amounts to market retailers and particularly higher for those who have to sell first before paying the middlemen.” 

Mrs Olòwò lamented that to cater to several categories of buyers, yam dealers now sell in uncommon methods to prevent them from becoming rotten. She lamented that yams were now sold in pieces, with sellers halving or cutting them into pieces.

It is the same story from a meat seller in Sasa market in the Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan.

One of them, Wasiu Olaoye, explained that providing adequate pieces of meat to consumers within the state has been challenging. He said that with fuel price hike, transporting cows to the South-West from the North had become expensive with meat buyers bearing the inflated cost of beef and other meat sources.

Mr Olaoye stressed that insecurity commuting livestock across states, costly animal feeds, drugs, and deaths linked to poor knowledge on diagnoses, prevention and treatment of domestic animals were challenges facing the meat sector in Oyo State.

Mr Olaoye added, “Meat market reality has changed significantly. Though the Sasa market struggles to regain its reputation, inflation keeps frustrating the effort. As meat sellers, we don’t get patronage like before. The cost of transporting livestock from the northern part of the country to the southern part, according to what we were also told, has increased. It’s even tougher because we in the South don’t rear enough animals compared to the amount of meat we consume. Before, one needed two polythene bags to pack N10,000 worth of meat, but now, pieces of meat of such an amount can hardly fill one.”

Distressing statistics amid ambitious schemes  

The National Population Commission’s 2022 projected population of Oyo State is put at 7, 840, 864, with an approximated 28,454 km2 landmass and the state recognised as a key producer of maize, cassava and cocoa.

However, the National Bureau of Statistics in its April report on Nigeria’s month-on-month-basis food inflation statistics identified Oyo State as the highest at 19.74%. The report added that on a year-on-year basis, food inflation in Oyo State, was at 34.41%, thereby projecting it as the highest. 

Compared to other states such as Bayelsa, Adamawa, Kebbi and Kaduna, Oyo State, has since November 2024, topped among states with increased food price hike.

Earlier, a 2022 index survey by the NBS indicated that 63% of Nigerians lived in multidimensional poverty. The report highlighted that many Nigerians have been unable to afford medical bills, educational materials, safe accommodation, and nutritious meals. 

Also, a 2024 World Bank report on Macro Poverty Outlook noted that nearly 47% of the distributed population in Nigeria lives below the international poverty line of $2.15 per day. The data noted that most citizens live on approximately N3,400 daily. The report forewarned that poverty in Nigeria could be at an estimated 52% high by 2026.

In the past years, there were agricultural programmes, facilitated by the Oyo State government, the Federal Government and corporate bodies. The initiatives were targeted at improving farm operations and food security in the state. But sadly, none of the programmes significantly mitigated food inflation either due to poor implementation or inadequate plans to address major challenges. 

For instance, a tractor hiring initiative subsidised by the state government in May 2024, to cover half of tractor service cost for arable farmers was marred by insufficient supply. Though a farmer’s booking mobile app was specifically developed to monitor the scheme across the 33 local government areas of the state, there was no existing record of the number of tractors distributed. 

Another scheme, financial empowerment reportedly worth about N500 million was initiated three months after, in August 2024, to empower young agro-entrepreneurs, who earlier benefitted from state-sponsored training. Facilitated by the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), multiple reports claimed that about 3,300 youths, aged between 25 and 35, benefited from the scheme. Stakeholders expect the scheme to start bearing fruit. 

It’s important to note that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Oyo State, in February, warned of dry spell conditions across the regions. The agency stated this at a training organised by the state for 22,000 farmers. Participants were taught weather onset, cessation and temperature variations. 

This year, Oyo State budgeted N18.76 billion to its agriculture sector, indicating a meagre 2.77% of the total budget, for farm subsidies and input distribution to a projected 10,000 farmers. Other government interventions include entrepreneurial training in pasture, beekeeping, shea butter, mushroom cultivation, for about 1,950 farmers. 

Some of the notable federal government-led interventions to the state’s agric sector and nationwide included corn export restriction bill, suspension of food-import taxes, establishment of soil-testing laboratory in Oyo State, and proposed plan to establish cattle ranches across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

In mid-June, at a maiden edition of the inter-ministerial news briefing on the state government’s activities between 2023 and 2025, the Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, claimed that agribusiness activities attracted $170 million in investment into the state. 

He further cited the establishment of Fashola Agribusiness Hub, situated in Oyo, seedling distribution to 3,541 maize farmers and 920 soybean farmers beneficiaries, and the distribution of quality feed and other inputs for 8,464 livestock and aquaculture farmers, as among the feats recorded in the sector.

Mr Olaleye said, “We distributed quality inputs to diverse livestock farmers: 1,150 fish farmers received three bags each of 15kg quality fish feed. 2,536 cattle, sheep, and goat farmers received nutritional supplements, including 253,600kg of wheat offal, brewery dried grains, salt licks, and disinfectants. 3,740 poultry farmers received eight bags of 50kg maize grains each, and 1,028 pig farmers received palm kernel cake and disinfectants.’

He also mentioned that the Governor Seyi Makinde administration had embarked on strategic road construction projects, totaling 87.53 kilometers, across multiple local governments. Perhaps, this was to assert ease of transporting goods within and outside the state. 

Farmers’ agonies 

High cost of farming inputs such as seeds, pesticides and fertilizers including post-harvest losses, insecurity, unregulated land use policy, climate-oriented concerns, loan unavailability and distribution difficulties, are leading challenges fueling rise in food commodities in Oyo State. 

Some grassroot farmers who spoke to Peoples Gazette said that the cost of seeds and other farm inputs remained high and unpredictable. To mound the soil or prepare ridges, farmers raised concern about its steeped cost. Lack and huge cost of motivating incentives, insecurity and post-harvest losses were also highlighted.

Unregulated real estate development in Oyo State, triggered by Nigeria’s urbanisation drive, continues to disrupt farming business. Population shift, now extending to agrarian communities, poses a threat to the estimated 43 million hectares of arable land reportedly utilized for farming. Former farmlands are being repurposed to residential and industrial sites. 

In her contribution, a schoolteacher, Oni Taiwo, linked the trend in food hike in the state to the absence of lands and social amenities such as schools and health centres. She stated that farmers and residents take their children to distant schools, as nearby facilities are short-staffed, barely open, and inadequate. 

Ms Taiwo said, “To get land can be very difficult. Estate has virtually taken all the land that should have been used for agricultural production. The moment these lands are purchased, they are fenced. Also, farmers have little or no access to such lands again. We don’t have good schools here. The community school here in Palapala in Saki is inadequate.’

Also, a maize farmer and the Beesin of Sakiland, Abdulganiyu Olanrewaju, expressed displeasure as the hired hands charge N5000 for 200 prepared heaps. He noted that the labour cost would have been tackled if there were mechanized tools for farming in the area.

Mr Olanrewaju stated “Lack of required farm tools has continued to make the practice difficult. Two hundred ridges cost N5000. There used to be about four tractors at the local government secretariat, but they are hardly available today. The labourers charge us; we feed them and must buy chemicals. Transportation experience is worse. While it is easier for me to move my crops to the main road because of the closeness, it takes some farmers about five days to get their crops out of their farms. On insecurity, the situation has not improved. Most of us who are farmers have chosen the side of tolerance, despite seeing trespassers on our farms. When we complain, intruding herders feign language barrier. No farm has ever gone to meet the cows; it has always been the cows treading on our farms.

“I believe in God who gives success in this business. A haulage truck of cassava was sold at N330,000 last year, but we sold it earlier this year at N130,000. Its poor cost results from seasonal and economic changes. We need more tractors, and they should be well zoned to the LGAs. The government should distribute fertilizers and other subsidies to real farmers. Roads such as Ataye, Okeorogun, Alabaniju, Idera and Ilua, should be fixed for farmers.’

Expressing concern, the Auditor of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Saki Chapter, Adesina Adekunle, stated that the insufficient training to empower farmers with climate and operational knowledge in past months led to heavy losses among farmers in the region.

It was also gathered that irregular rainfall had its negative toll on farming schedules and productivity, as there were no remedial efforts by government authorities to provide irrigation facilities or knowledge that could be applied to deal with ecological changes. 

Mr Adekunle noted, “We are not benefitting many incentives from the government, besides the Hello-Tractor scheme and little training compared to our northern counterparts. Government should address the tension between farmers and herders. Middlemen also make prices increase. Our yields are harvested almost at once, but retailers hoard them. Drought also affects us. I think the government should distribute not less than 20 tractors to each local government in the Oke-Ogun areas,” he stated.

Another farmer and soybeans, cassava farmer, Abdusalami Sakariyau, decried the tension between farmers and herders. Describing the current peace in the region as apparent, Mr Sakariyau traced the ‘quiet insecurity’ in the Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State to the enduring tolerance of farmers left with no other choice.

Mr Sakariyau stated, “The herders make it difficult to practise farming and profit from it. The abduction of farmers is also a concern. Last year, some farmers recorded repeated losses because of rodents damaging crops. Middlemen sometimes manipulate market prices to the detriment of farmers and buyers. The lack of loans and tractors remain persistent concerns.’’

A tomato and maize farmer, in Aboke village, Lagelu, Ibadan, Tinuola Ajibola, said that the labour scarcity was another leading factor for food inflation in the state. Cost of feeding, healthcare and rewarding workers, especially with the tradition of buying specified types of motorcycles as yearly rewards, soared correspondingly amid naira devaluation.

Mrs Ajibola added that climate-smart agriculture helped, despite challenging weather conditions, noting that climate-smart practices remained expensive and exclusive to the privileged. She stated that items, such as mulching films and weed mats, which control weeds, moisture retention and temperature regulation were costly.

She said, “Cost of farming production drives food inflation. There is no way I will spend much on production and you will expect me to sell at a ridiculous price to off-takers. When we started farming, you could get less expensive labour, probably from Togo, Cotonou, and must buy bikes for them at the end of the year. Due to naira devaluation which affected inputs, feeding, healthcare, cost of motorcycles also increased. Twenty-four workers on eight-hectares multiplied by the price of motorcycles are too much to bear. Maintaining profit is why climate-smart agriculture becomes important. With weed-mat, for example, I won’t have to make this bed until after four years. After harvesting, I will only add manure into the same spot. But this weed-mat per roll costs N300,000.”

Several farmers argued that the structural absence of adequate storage facilities, such as silos, granaries, cold storage units, warehouses, root cellars and barns, across smallholders’ farms and major farm settlements, contributes to food inflation.

Some stakeholders noted that the indifference of the Oyo State Government to provide and manage storage facilities culminated in inestimable post-harvest losses, rural poverty, dislocated price-chain, and increased dependence on imported foods.

Adding to the difficulty is the road networks to farms across Oyo State which make haulage and farming more difficult. Impassable and deteriorated road conditions in the state delay food distribution in the state. Efforts, such as head-loading or renting hawkers paid to move farm produce to the nearest major roads increase the end cost. The Gazette observed that most crop farms are situated in areas that are hard to reach. 

Food dealers, residents’ frustrations  

 Residents of Oyo State continue to struggle under the yoke of inflation with the effects noticeably driving food prices.

A resident of Oyo State who spoke on condition of anonymity said that he often thought deeply before spending money.

He said, “I think before I spend money. No matter how much I spend on food, I do feel my hunger but must endure because there is no one to complain to. My salary is distributed across several needs, personal and others. It is impossible to spend it all on food. The cost of food has gone so high that I cannot afford the quantity of food I bought before now at a lower rate. The situation is a silent cry.’’

An old-time food outlet manager within the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Afolabi Abiodun, popularly called Baba Klazz, lamented drop in patronage.

According to Baba Klazz, leftover foods in the past were fed to animals due to food abundance., noting that things have changed. He added that his employees have since reduced food quantity for cooking because of the drop in patronage.

Mr Abiodun said, “Everyone knows things are now expensive. My sales have reduced drastically. In the past, veterinary medicine students visited to get food remnants. Today, people are not eating to their satisfaction, not to mention leaving leftovers. The queues by customers for food used to be encouraging but things are no longer the same. There is also staff reduction because there is no need to keep many employees when there is nothing much to do.’’

Also, a food vendor along Sango-Ojoo Road, identified only as Mrs Adewoye, noted that hike in fuel impacted on the cost of transporting farm produce to the final consumers.

She stated that her customers frequently complained about the prices of cooked food, adding that they usually accuse her of unfairly rationing food sizes. She, however, observed that many of them were unaware that retailing foods required a calculated model to prevent loss and maximise at least a minimal profit.

Mrs Adewoye stated, “I cannot say a specific reason why farm produce is expensive in Oyo State, but some people attributed the development to hike in fuel pump price. We are really suffering. The cost of transportation drags profit with food dealers. I was previously happy with the price of rice, but it is not stable. Customers complain and sometimes stop patronizing thinking that I sell too expensively. A N3,200 congo of rice, matched with other ingredients must yield its profit. Someone bought cooked beans not long before you came and complained bitterly about the quantity. That is the situation we now find ourselves.’’

AFAN chairman’s reaction

The Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, Adewumi Adekunle, stated that the state had enough food commodities, maintaining that noticeable scarcity was traceable to population in some communities.

He also acknowledged an increase in food prices contributing to the soaring cost of farm inputs in the state, saying that unregulated cost of inputs added to labour cost continued to drive food inflation beyond reach of residents in the state.

Mr Adekunle stated, “Inflation happens everywhere in the country and globally. Food items are available as they used to be. If there were any changes in the availability, the differences wouldn’t be much. We might say it is due to the increase in population. But in terms of price, the distance is truly wider. It is not a farmers’ problem. What contributed to the increase in food produce is the huge increase in the price of inputs that farmers use on their farms.  Fertilizers cost N35,000 last year and we complained but now they are about N53,000. Whatever is spent on inputs and labour is what farmers add together to charge on produce sales.”

Mr Adekunle noted that AFAN as a farmers’ body had been actively confronting the challenges faced by farmers in the state. He identified some of the interventions by the association to include provision of some imported machines, including 50 tractors and 75 four-wheel drive machines which farmers belonging to the association would benefit from upon importation of the mechanized tools. 

“AFAN is doing much to make things easier. In Oyo State for example, this year, when we realized that the money service providers were collecting on ‘tractorization’ was too high, we used our association’s influence to bring a certain number of tractors. We will import 40 tractor pieces of tractor and 75 horse powers to relieve our farmers. It will be given to farmers directly which they will pay for through hire purchase. Also, our association made a cordial agreement with a fertilizer processing company, which processes NPK 1515 and 2010 for us, with an improved standard that gives an assurance of quality,” Mr Adekunle stated.

He added that a recent signing of a memorandum of understanding by the association with a fertilizer processing company, gave an assurance of quality and reduced price, particularly to farmers who buy from the association’s office. To reduce dependence on foreign inputs, the chairman said it engaged the state government on the need to localize production of herbicides and other agricultural necessities. He noted that the state government must take steps towards influencing processing and manufacturing industries, through subsidy, which most farmers would be glad to benefit from.

Mr Adekunle noted that both the federal and state government had been rendering support to the farmers, through donation of inputs to relieve their farming burden.

He stressed that livestock farmers in the state received bags of maize, while cash crop farmers were provided with knapsack sprayers, herbicides, fertilizers, and cassava stems.

He further stated that farmers benefited from the government’s tractorization policies, noting however that its impact had yet to reach a larger percentage of practising farmers in the state.

The farmers’ president urged the government to promote irrigation-oriented farming. According to him, a farm estate with all irrigating facilities will address climate barriers and food security across planting seasons.

Mr Adekunle stated, “Several advocacies have been taken to the government. We made them realize how costly the inputs are this year, with a piece of advice that the government should encourage indigenous companies producing the inputs. Most of our inputs are imported and you may compare that with the rate of dollars. If there is a tractor assembly in Nigeria, it will reduce the price, and it must be of good quality too. If they encourage the manufacturing companies through subsidies, almost all farmers would benefit from that.’’

State government unreachable  

Attempts to reach the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, were futile as he neither answered calls to his mobile nor replied to a text message sent.

Also, an email sent to the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency was not responded to. Besides, an email to the Oyo State Government’s official feedback platform only redirected the Peoples Gazette to a June 19 press release, indicating the measures undertaken by the commissioner to boost agriculture in the state.

The statement only showed the government’s interventions on food security and productivity. It did not specifically respond to the economic strain which food prices had on residents in the state. The release signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, followed an inter-ministerial press briefing held to commemorate the second anniversary of the governor’s second tenure.

At the briefing, the agric commissioner highlighted nine key areas the state government had intervened in the sector, cutting across policy implementation, infrastructure, human capital development and reforms in the sector.

According to Mr Olaleye, microloans ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦800,000, were given to 3,501 smallholder farmers. He added that a multiple choice of inputs such as maize seeds, soyabeans seed, cassava stems, disinfectants, fish feed, anti-anthrax vaccine, and a strategic construction of rural roads, were efforts undertaken by the state government. 

Some of the roads claimed to be constructed were Adebayo Alata–Obembe, Aba Oje Road (8.85 km – Oluyole), Oloko–Oyo–Ikere Gorge Dam Road (21.96 km – Iseyin), Fasola Farm Settlement Road (8.43 km – Oyo West), Alako–Idi-Iya–Batake–Olowa Road (37.1 km), among others.

Mr Olaleye noted that the government ploughed 13,077.10 acres for 2,827 farmers as of June 10, 2025, while in 2024, about 1,487 farmers benefited from 50% tractor subsidies, covering 6,090 acres. A 2025 set target of 120,000 acres, as promised, is being awaited.  

The commissioner stated, “Our programmes have directly impacted tens of thousands of farmers while building the infrastructure and institutional capacity needed for sustainable agricultural growth in Oyo State. The combination of technical services, infrastructure development, and human capital investment positions our state as a leader in agricultural innovation and food security in Nigeria.

“In the area of input distribution to support agriculture enterprises, our comprehensive input distribution programme reached thousands of farmers: soybean seeds to 920 farmers, maize seeds to 3,541 farmers, cassava stems to 1,269 farmers (covering 47,587.5 acres with potential to produce 214,143.75 tons of cassava tubers), knapsack sprayers to 1,980 farmers, and herbicides and pesticides to 2,500 farmers. Our massive distribution of 65,000 bundles of cassava stems to 1,269 farmers demonstrates our commitment to food security, with projections showing potential production of 214,143.75 tons of cassava tubers from 47,587.5 acres of newly planted farmland.

“We provided microloans to 3,501 smallholder farmers with soft loans ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦800,000 per beneficiary, enabling farmers to expand their operations and improve their livelihoods. We also trained 62 rural farmers in modern agricultural practices at the Oyo State-IITA Youth Agribusiness Incubation Centre in Aawe, providing them with both knowledge and land allocation for practical application.”

Experts proffer solutions to challenges

An Agribusiness Service Support Provider, with the Foundation for Sustainable Smallholders Solution, Olusunle Juwon, tasked both the Federal Government and Oyo State government on tax reduction for agricultural inputs, including establishment of a monitoring and evaluation team to ensure import regulations. 

He called for synergy between agro-corporate bodies and the government to regulate farm produce prices, urging the state government to optimize the creation and management of storage facilities in the state. 

The agronomist warned that without the government amending its oversight performance on post-harvesting experiences, food inflation would persist and worsen. He also advised that logistics activities between farmers and consumers should be actively overseen and shielded from exploitation.

Mr Olusunle said, “Government should partner with current players in the agricultural sector. One thing is to support; and another thing is to provide pieces of land. Monitoring team should be physically available and constituted to guide farmers. Our farmers need to be trained and re-trained. The more farmers we see succeed, the more joy we derive. Government intervention will go a long way. One thing is to have government intervention on radio and televisions. It is another thing to have it get to the rural farmers. Inflation happens because middlemen are the key players between farmers and retailers or consumers. They don’t produce but they have the money. They will wait for farmers to produce, wait for glut and buy en masse. Middlemen create artificial scarcity and dictate the price. They will still collect a percentage on every farm produce taken to the markets, which is a minimum of 10%.’

On his part, the Executive Director, Prince-Dee Agricultural Consultant, Dr Lawal Adebowale, called on the Oyo State Government to broadly prioritize farmers’ education.

With around 88% of smallholder farmers responsible for producing 90% of the state’s consumed agricultural outputs, strategies without solid education could undermine the impact of government interventions. 

He recommended the deployment of more agricultural extension officers, increased training for practising farmers, and the adoption of digital technology to enhance agricultural productivity.

He said, “Without an iota of doubt, Oke-Ogun remains the food basket of Oyo State, where about 80% of residents are farmers, ranging from peasants to commercial farmers. Referring to the NBS data, there are factors that might have contributed to that. Talk about the acreage, the number of acres or hectares, when you relate it with the yields they are getting.

“Oke-Ogun as a contributor to the economy is not enjoying the entitlement the zone should enjoy. While we appreciate the state government for OYSIDA’s presence in Oke-Ogun, there are other agencies that are supposed to be present. Like ADP, FADAMA, and the quota of agricultural empowerment. If you check the data on agricultural empowerment being done in Oyo State, you’ll see that a lower percentage comes to Oke-Ogun compared to other places.’