Magboro Rice Project: Ignore Fake Report, Ogun Govt Invests 65 Percent In Rice Project – Farmers

ABEOKUTA – Farmers under the Alubarika Rice Farm Cluster have debunked rumour making round that the rice project launched by Governor Dapo Abiodun at Magboro in Obafemi Owode Local government is not a state government initiative but rather a private project owned by Alhaji Bello Zabarmawa, a businessman.

They disclosed that the Ogun state government contributed 65 percent of the cost of production for the Magboro 200 hectares rice farm project from planting to harvesting, while the clusters of farmers contributed 35 percent.

The farmers who spoke to journalists on Friday at the rice farm site, Magboro , Obafemi Owode local government, refuted a publication stating that the 200 hectares rice project belonged to an individual, Alhaji Bello Zabarmawa, a businessman from Kebbi State.

Zabarmawa, while reacting to the report, revealed that the state government had contributed massively to the success of the rice farm.

He noted that he was misquoted in the said report, saying that he never mentioned he owned the project but that the project belonged to 200 farmers.

Zabarmawa explained that the state government provided tractors and fertilizers before commencing the rice project, saying that the farmers covered the remaining 50 percent.

He added that when the rice was ready for harvesting, he notified the government through the Young Agro Services Limited, which was contracted by the state government as a service provider for the farmers.

Zabarmawa informed that the government provided three harvesters and covered 65 percent of the work while the farmers were entitled to contribute 35 percent.

”I saw a publication claiming that the government did not help us with what we are doing on this rice farm.  Whereas the government has helped us with everything here.

”We have Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa farmers here on our farm.

“When we started this rice farm, the government supported us 50 percent in the process of providing tractors, fertilizers, and more, and the farmers covered the remaining 50 percent.

“If you look at this farm, you can see that the government has supported us drastically, and people should stop lying that the government hasn’t supported us.

”We have 200 members who did their registration, and we have their names, and each of them covers one hectare,” Zabarmawa said .

Also, the Chairman, Alubarika Farm Cluster,  Mr. Adelowo Salam emphasized that the state government had  been so helpful to the farmers through the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) and service provider, Young Farm Service Limited.

He maintained that Gov. Abiodun had promised to expand the farmland by another 2,000 hectares because of the potential seen in the farmers.

In his reaction to the false publication, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) , Young Farm Service Limited,  Mr. Johnson Ajibola  cautioned anyone trying to use political affluence to sabotage the effort of the state government on food security.

Ajibola explained that due to the performance of the Alubarika Farm Cluster, the state government had promised to expand the land and improve food security.

He expressed displeasure on the false publication that an individual owned the rice farm, saying that he had the names of all the 200 beneficiary farmers.

”I am ready to take legal action on the purveyor of such false publication, and I have consulted my lawyer on them.

“All these 200 farmers supported during the process though they might not have sufficient capital. Alhaji Zabarmawa gave them support in terms of fertilizer and chemical.

”The government pays us 65 per cent. Do you know how many millions they are going to use to cultivate 200 hectares of rice farms?  Each cost nothing less than a million naira to cultivate.

”I brought in six tractors and three Harvesters to work on the farm, and they paid me 35 percent, and the government has paid me 65 percent already.

“The government never said they own the farm, if they have said that, why can’t they stop them from harvesting and taking the rice to the Governor’s house,” Ajibola said.