Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
In its bid to ensure a more responsive agricultural practice to aid food security and create wealth through employment generation , the Ogun State Government has assured that more emphasis would be placed on the development of agricultural land and infrastructure including provision of input and improved extension service delivery through sustainable women and youth employment initiatives.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Oludotun Sorunke, stated this while taking his turn to defend his Ministry’s year 2020 budget proposal before the State lawmakers at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
He added that human capacity building programmes would be put in place for the promotion of selected key value chains including Rice, Cassava, poultry and fish, with anticipated support to farms and firms from developmental partners including World Bank for the next fiscal year.
The Permanent Secretary said a total sum of N16.701bn was being proposed as the Ministry’s total budget, out of which N15.660bn was being earmarked for capital projects, with N1.040bn for recurrent and N650m expected as revenue for the next fiscal year.
Also, the State Ministry of Forestry, State Agricultural Development Corporation, the State Agricultural Development Programme, Agro Services Corporation, State Forestry Plantation Project Area J4 and the State Cassava Revolution Programme amongst others presented their 2020 budget proposals before the lawmakers.
