The Ogun Fadama III Development Office on Thursday distributed farm processing equipments worth millions of naira to eight Fadama users groups in Ijebu-Isiwo community in Ijebu-Ode Local Government of Ogun.

The user groups that benefitted from the gesture included pig farmers, fish farmers, crop farmers, cassava farmers, poultry farmers and market traders.

The equipments include generator sets, cassava graters, hydraulic press, garri frying machines, plantain chip machines, knapsack machine, knapsack sprayers, completed pig pens, freezers and poultry cages.

Speaking during the occasion, Mrs Ola Adegun, Chairperson, Ijebu-Isiwo Fadama Community Association (FCA) described the gesture as a singular life changing programme for farmers in the community.

Adegun said that the launching of Fadama assisted Small-Scale Enterprises Processing Equipment was an evidence that there was hope for rural dwellers and peasant farmers.

“Today’s programme is evidence that there is hope for rural dwellers and peasants farmers, who over the years have suffered neglect and dashed hopes.

“We have the brains behind the Fadama programme to thank greatly for this new hope,” she said.

Adegun, however, called on the Fadama office to assist farmers by organising training on book keeping for them to enhance their record keeping ability.

She also urged Fadama office to provide extension services for farmers in order to reduce cost and delays in meeting the needs of Fadama cluster groups.

“We are peasant farmers yearning for improved technology to take farming and our small and medium-scale enterprises to the next level,” she said.

Earlier in an address, Mr Ibikunle Onasanya, the Fadama Coordinator in Ogun, said that the Fadama office would not relent in its efforts to support farmers in their moves towards increased food production.

Represented by Mr Lekan Temowo, Community Development, Youth and Gender Officer in Fadama office, Onasanya urged farmers that were yet to join the Fadama User Groups to do so.

Mr Mufutau Oseni, Chairman, Ijebu-Ode Local Government Council, promised that the council would pay its N2 million counterpart fund to the Fadama office.

Represented by Mr Kunle Alimi, the council’s Supervisor for Works, Oseni said that the council would cooperate with the Fadama office for increased agricultural production.