The Ondo State Government says it has trained 50 extension workers across the 18 local government areas of the state to enhance farmers productivity.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Lasisi Oluboyo, said at a workshop in Akure, last Tuesday that the training was important for a sustainable agricultural development.

Oluboyo said training and re-training of extension workers was one of the main pillars of agricultural development.

The commissioner explained that the training was organised to bring scientific knowledge and assist farmers to apply modern technology.

“Extension worker must learn and know how to handle and deal with any category of farmers, by having adequate knowledge about their attitudes and character.

“For extension workers to achieve their objective, there is need for thorough and proper understanding of the farmers, who are either complete illiterates, semi-illiterates or literates” he said.

He, therefore, reinstate the commitment of the state government to take agriculture to a higher level by ensuring provision of right inputs, machinery to ensure that it achieved food security in the state.

An Extension Consultant at the event, Mr. Abdulwahab Ademola, said the training was aimed at improving farming methods, techniques and increasing production efficiency.

Ademola listed techniques to include effective dissemination of agricultural innovations, economic strategies for effective extension work and understanding the farmer quality extension service delivery.

A participant, Mr. Remi Balogun, however, commended the state government for the implementation of the training, adding that it had helped agricultural development in the state.