Ekiti State Government has partnered with OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Limited to map and evaluate soil fertility distribution across the state as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen agricultural development.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, announced the collaboration during a training programme for extension officers at the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) office in Ikole-Ekiti.
Boluwade explained that the project received the approval of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, noting that the decision was based on the administration’s commitment to changing the narrative on food production, boosting agricultural output, and addressing food insecurity in Nigeria.
“The state is desirous to change the narrative on food production, boost agricultural production and tackle the problem of food insecurity in the country,” he said.
He disclosed that both parties have agreed to develop sustainable and innovative solutions to tackle food insecurity while creating wealth for the people.
The initiative aims to empower stakeholders with modern agricultural information and technologies, including improved fertilizer formulations and precision agriculture methods. According to Boluwade, the programme will provide soil advisory services to help smallholder farmers improve productivity.
He added that farmers will be given access to training on Good Agricultural Practices and quality fertilizers to boost yields. “The parties intend to address these issues in a holistic manner, ensuring value creation at local level and socio-economic development of farmers,” he stated.
Represented at the event by the Project Manager of the State ADP, Bamidele Adegbola, Boluwade said the training will focus on comprehensive agronomic projects aimed at enhancing farm productivity and guaranteeing sustainability across all agricultural value chains.
The project will also include community-based soil advisory services, fertilizer recommendations, and other farmer-centric initiatives.
In his remarks, the representative of OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Limited, Omotayo, said Ekiti State was selected for the programme due to the administration’s farmer-friendly policies, including the 50% subsidy on fertilizer for smallholder farmers.
“Ekiti became one of the choice destinations for the deployment of our solution due to the farmers-friendly initiatives of the present administration,” he said.
Omotayo explained that as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility, extension agents will be trained on digital soil mapping and Good Agricultural Practices.
The training will cover the use of applications such as Guru Maps and other tools to facilitate digital soil collection, analysis, and mapping in 100 communities across the 16 local government areas of the state.
He emphasised that the intervention would allow for soil-specific fertilizer application and precise dosage determination, leading to better crop yields.
“At the end of the intervention, farmers will experience an increased yield since soil specific fertilizer application and dosage will be precisely determined,” Omotayo noted.