THE Oyo state government has appealed to residents of the state to make available their land for rent, lease or outright sale to would-be investors.

State Commissioner of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, Mr Oyewumi Oyewole premised this appeal on the difficulty faced by investors in accessing land owing to failure of some residents to make available their land for commercial purposes.

Speaking at the state secretariat, Ibadan, on Wednesday, Oyewumi urged residents to key into the state’s zero tolerance for idle land and its drive to promote mechanised agriculture.

He said the 2.5 million hectares of arable land that the state boasted of would remain underutilized if residents failed to make it available for out grower’s schemes, agric investments.

Assuring that the state government was not intent on taking their land, he called on landowners to provide their land to investors while the state serves as the facilitator.

Furthermore, Oyewumi called on residents to collaborate with government through leasing or renting out their land and receiving royalties in return, if they don’t sell outright.

Oyewumi who spoke alongside, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Victor Atilola; Director, Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme, Mrs Fadekemi Akande, prayed that residents yield to the appeal with a view to boosting the agricultural sector of the state.