According to a statement by his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, the governor, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, said his government had intensified ongoing construction of the Edo Agricultural Development Hub, reassuring timely completion of the project.

Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Stephen Idehenre, who spoke on behalf of the governor, said the government had also completed the construction of an input warehouse to support agricultural production at the Edo Agricultural Development Hub.

He noted that the ongoing construction work on the Edo Agricultural Development Hub comprises administrative building (Ministry, ADP and Donor Project offices), state-of-the-art agricultural processing factory, farm mechanisation hub, pig and poultry production prototype buildings, and produce/soil laboratory, among others.

Obaseki said: “As a government, we are aware of the immense role agriculture plays in stimulating the economy and ensuring food security, which is why we have sustained investment in the sector, pursuing a number of agriculture support programmes to support farmers in the state.”

“Aside from our government’s extensive agricultural development programmes such as the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP) aimed at opening up the space for large scale commercial farming in the state, we have procured three units of mobile grain dryers to reduce post-harvest losses, maintain grain viability and vigour during storage.

“We have also established a mechanisation hub, and purchased tractors and harvesters to boost agricultural production and reduce drudgery.”

“In addition to these programmes, we are making progress with the construction of the Edo Agricultural Development Hub. The hub will house the administrative building (Ministry, ADP and Donor Project offices), state-of-the-art agricultural processing factory, farm mechanisation hub, pig and poultry production prototype buildings, and produce/soil laboratory, among others,” he added.