A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Klick Connect Network in Ondo State, has distributed tractors to farmers in the state under the “Cassava Revolution to Ethanol project (CASSAREV)”
The Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Chief Alexander Ajipe, disclosed this while meeting with the members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian unions of journalists in Akure on Wednesday.
Ajipe who said the project is aimed at boosting the production of cassava for the economic development of the state revealed that “CASSAREV is a value chain programme set up to discover the various benefits that cassava has toward the economic development of the state”
The CEO further disclosed that CASSAREV was initiated to create the existence of an ethanol factory and contribute to human capital development, while also adding that farmers would benefit immensely from the project.
According to him, 2,434 cassava farmers had been engaged for its first phase of the ethanol project proposed to boost the economy of the State.
“We have distributed 10 new tractors to our farmers across the 18 local government in the state. We will also provide herbicides and seedling for them. Their duty is just to supervise the farm. At the end of the day, we buy the cassava from them at the international price.
“We are also going to build a modular processing factory in Ore, Igbaraoke, and Ifon for the farmers so that they won’t have any problem in terms of processing it”
“Apart from giving them tractors, we will give them planting machines that will plant the cassava so that we can achieve at least 30 tonnes of Cassava per hectares. And if they don’t have land, we are partnering with some cooperative society that will give them land with the token.
“This is a good opportunity for our teeming youth, all that they need is to come to Klick Connect office to register which is free, we will give them all the necessary support from the beginning to the end by providing seedling, tractor, herbicides and other tools including security so that there won’t be any issue with herdsmen. Their duty is just to supervised the farm and during harvesting, we will buy the cassava from them at an international price”. Ajipe said.
He however calls on the people of the state especially youth, to enroll in the program because more farmers are still needed across the state.
