EKITI STATE GOVERNMENT TACKLES RISING FOOD PRICES WITH INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIP WITH FARMERS

In a bid to address the rising food prices in Ekiti State, the present administration has inaugurated several measures to tackle the issue head-on. The government, in collaboration with the traditional rulers, farmers, and private investors, is developing infrastructure, regulating market prices, and promoting agricultural activities to improve food production.

The move comes as the prices of commodities, particularly foodstuffs, have been on an astronomical rise in the state, making it nearly impossible for the masses to afford them. According to Sunday Omopariola, a student at Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, "the irony of the situation is that my parents at Osogbo, the Osun State capital, find it difficult to believe when I tell them what food takes from the money they give me."

In response to this, Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, in August, directed the slashing of foodstuff prices in markets within his domain. The traditional ruler also banished various traders’ associations in the markets to remove their undue control of prices and ensure farmers have direct access to traders.

Similarly, other monarchs, such as the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu-Alagbado, and the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi, have taken similar measures to regulate food prices in their domains.

Ekiti State Government, on its part, has established the Price Control Committee to monitor and regulate prices of goods in the state. According to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, the committee involves key stakeholders like the organized private sector, Iyalojas, Iyalajes, and others to ensure fair prices.

The government has also initiated the construction of farmland roads through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP). At a contract awarding ceremony for the N17.2 billion rural roads project, RAAMP Coordinator, Sunday Adunmo, explained that good rural roads play vital roles in enhancing food production and averting hunger and poverty.

Speaking further, Governor Oyebanji emphasized that the next two years will focus on scaling up interventions in agriculture. "The time has come for us to feed our people," he said, attributing insufficient food and high prices to some individuals who fund farmers to plant crops, only to harvest and take the produce out of the state.

To counter this, the governor said his administration is working with investors and young farmers under the ‘Bring Back Our Youths into Agriculture’ program. This initiative provides youths with land, subsidized inputs, and training, with over 930 youths already cultivating over 2,000 hectares of crops.

With the government’s efforts, the partnership between farmers, monarchs, and the private sector, and the establishment of regulatory bodies to monitor prices, it appears that Ekiti State may finally see a decrease in the rising food prices, as it works towards its goal of feeding its people and promoting agricultural productivity.