Ogun State Government on Thursday said it would pursue vigorously the growth of agro-based industries in its bid to increase revenue base and reduce youth unemployment.
Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), said this at the 2017 Poultry Show organised by the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in Abeokuta.
Adeoluwa said that government agricultural intervention projects were not only meant to ensure food security but also to industrialise the state.
“Government in Ogun is seriously embracing agriculture, that is why a chunk of our budget is always allocated to it.
“Agriculture is the way to go if we must tackle the ever-increasing rate of unemployment in the country.
“As a government, we are determined to take agriculture to the level of industrialisation and this we will pursue until we achieve the set goals for the sector,” he said
Adeoluwa said that agriculture could provide employment to as many Nigerians as those willing to make a living from the sector.
He said that state government completed the Broilers House, with the capacity of accommodating more than 60,000 broilers in Odeda Local Government Area of the state, to boost agricultural production.
The SSG urged stakeholders in the sector to collaborate with the state government in industrialising the state to reduce unemployment and increase its revenue profile.
Earlier, the National President of PAN, Mr Ezekiel Ibrahim, said poultry business in Nigeria suffered set back due, largely, to multiple taxations, high-interest rate on loans from banks and power outage.
Ibrahim, therefore, stressed the need for the three tiers of government to support poultry business to grow.