Ekiti State governor, Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, has launched a full-scale war against hunger with his administration’s massive investment in the agriculture sector with the investment yielding dividends faster and earlier than expected. This, he is doing in his avowed desire to make food available and affordable for the people of the state at a time the nation is threatened by scarcity and high prices of food and other edible products owing to many factors. Agriculture and food security have been accorded a priority by Governor Oyebanji since he came to office and he has invested enormous resources of the state in the sector in his desire to make food affordable and available to the people of the state. Some of the governor’s strides in agriculture and food security include revival of farm settlements, procurement and distribution of seedlings to farmers, distribution of fertilizers, procurement of more tractors and other equipments and incorporation of more youths into commercial farming. Under Governor Oyebanji, Ekiti now has a Special Agriculture Processing Zone (SAPZ), more hectares of land have been cleared to make way for more commercial farming while more investors have been attracted to the sector to generate more employment, boost the internally generated revenue and also make Ekiti an agricultural export hub. In a bid to beat down the prices of essential food commodities in the market, one of the investors attracted by the Oyebanji Administration, MAO Organic Farms Limited, inaugurated sales of subsidized fried cassava flakes known as “Gaari BAO.”
The sale of “Gaari BAO” created excitement at the Shasha BAO Market located along Agric Olope Road, Ado Ekiti on 5th December, 2024, the day it was launched, as residents trooped out in their numbers to benefit from the sales of the commodity. Benefiting from the sales are men, women, students, commercial drivers and motorcyclists who conveyed some market women and customers to the market as the day falls on a market day. As the news of the sales of Gaari BAO spreads to the town, more prospective buyers stormed the market to purchase the product. The beneficiaries bought “Gaari BAO” at N500 per rubber which is lower than N700 per rubber sold by traders in the major markets while those selling the product in the neighbourhoods sell at higher prices depending on the location and quality. The sales of “Gaari BAO” was flagged off by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade, who performed the symbolic sale to interested buyers whose awareness was aroused by a team from the Office of Community Communications.
The arrival of “Gaari BAO” is one of the steps by the Oyebanji administration to crash the prices of food commodities in the market in line with the promise of Mr. Governor to make food affordable for the people of the state. The officials of MAO Organic Farms said they are collaborating with the Oyebanji administration by producing the “Gaari BAO” in appreciation of Mr. Governor’s “investment, support and impactful interventions in agriculture” which have paved the way for profitable farming in Ekiti. In a bid to allow orderliness and make the products accessible to the willing buyers, the sales will be taking place throughout the month of December at Shasha BAO Market along Agric Olope Road and Erekesan Market (Oja Oba) both in Ado Ekiti. To prevent undue profiteering and sales racketeering, each buyer is only entitled to buy maximum of five rubbers at N500 each. The arrival of Gaari BAO couldn’t have come at a better time as the commodity represents an indispensable staple food in the menu of many families.
Apparently impressed with the initiative, some of the beneficiaries who urged the state government to sustain the initiative advocated that the sales should be extended to other food products like rice, beans, yam flour, palm oil, vegetable oil and chickens which use to be very expensive during the Yuletide period. A beneficiary, Mrs Kemi Alonge said: “I was surprised on arriving at the market to discover that they are selling Gaari BAO at N500 per rubber. I had bought my own five rubbers because it is a very good opportunity. We thank our Governor for this.” Another buyer, Mrs Rachel Ajewole said: “God bless our governor for this initiative because this will make life easier for the masses. But we want to suggest that the subsidized sales should also be extended to other food items like beans, rice, yam flour, palm oil, vegetable oil, plantain and chicken which come with high prices during festive period.” Giving explanation on how “Gaari BAO” came about, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, the concept was developed by the investor to give back to the populace in appreciation of the enabling environment made available by the governor to make commercial agriculture thrive in the state. Mr Boluwade revealed that when the state government officials visited the farmers working for MAO Organic Farms sometime in 2022, a major complaint given by the farmers was lack of roads leading to their farms. The challenge, according to them, led to the loss of about 200 hectares of cassava.
He disclosed that the Oyebanji Administration shortly after resumption of office activated its partnership with the World Bank which used its two intervention programmes, RAAMP and FADAMA to construct a total number of 10 kilometres of roads leading to the farms. While RAAMP did four kilometers, FADAMA constructed six kilometres. The commissioner explained that owing to the intervention in farm road rehabilitation and construction, the investor can load a trailer of cassava and other farm produce and can get to the market within the shortest possible time. He said it was in appreciation of this that MAO Farms produced “Gaari BAO” as its own contribution to food security in Ekiti. According to him, the State Executive Council has approved the establishment of the Ile Eye Agro-Trading and Aggregation Company Limited from where the people of the state will be buying food products at subsidized rates at a special markets to be established for that purpose for the benefit of the masses.
The company, he said, will be pivotal in buying excess farm produce from local farmers and specialized schemes like Bring Back the Youth in Agriculture for storage to be sold at subsidized rates to the members of the public noting that the policy, apart from boosting food security will also save the people from hunger. Mr Boluwade said: “From their farms today, they can load a trailer and the can get to the market because of the intervention. So, in appreciation to His Excellency for his support, they have produced gaari to be sold at subsidized price for the benefit of our people. “I performed the measurements the subsidized Gaari BAO to the first set of beneficiaries and you can see the excitement on the faces of our people. The actual market price for one rubber of gaari is N700 but our people are buying Gaari BAO at N500 per rubber and the difference of N200 can make impact in the lives of our people. This shows that if you reduce the prices of food, you are increasing the purchasing power of our people; they will be able to purchase more. Having been encouraged by this experience, we are actually planning to extend the same gesture to other food items.
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“The Ile Eye Agro-Trading and Aggregation Company Limited will cover rice, will cover beans, will cover palm oil. We will buy when the prices are at low level, then we will hit the market to sell at reduced prices. One of the things we are going to do in 2025 is to have special markets. We will have one in Ado, then we are looking at Ido or Ikole or Ikere and from there, we are going to extend to other major towns so that our people can benefit.” Gaari BAO another populist initiative enjoyed by the people of Ekiti State under an administration that prioritizes invests heavily in agriculture for the people’s welfare and always looking for ways reduce their suffering. Governor Oyebanji will not rest on his oars until his dream of achieving food security, abundance and turning Ekiti into a food production and export hub, which partners like MAO Organic Farms Limited have keyed into, materialises.
Ogunmola is Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media (Print Media)
