The Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria, Oyo state chapter, Dr Jolade Aderonke Sansi has said that the association would do all within its reach to impact meaningfully on agricultural practice in the state.

She made the pledge at Farmers Hall, OYSADEP, Ibadan, Ibarapa zonal office, Ibadan, shortly after her official inauguration as the chairperson of the association having served in acting capacity for some time.

She said: ”In Oyo state; organic agriculture would be well impacted from now on and that is why we have farmers in attendance. We also have in attendence; researchers, consumers, business men and women and the entire value chain we are planning to impact. We’ll have our regular meetings and we are advocating that people join this association.”

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, Zonal Manager, ADP, Ibadan, Oyo State and a member of the association, Lukman Oladapo, said:
“We are promoting organic agriculture because organic is life. Most of the foods we eat these days have been contaminated with all forms of chemicals. But this time around we are going back to the organic way of growing crops and raising animals so that people can have healthy foods on their tables.”

Commenting on agricultural practice in Nigeria, Oladapo, noted that it became imperative for Nigerians to increase their interest in agriculture. He said; “everybody has to eat and that is why we must continue to promote agriculture. Not everybody will go to the farm but people who do go must be encouraged and the only way we can encourage them is by patronising our locally produced foods. We must ignore imported rice and other foods that we produce locally. We even produce rice in Oyo state, therefore we must do all within our reach to encourage our farmers at all times.”

Preceding the inauguration was a training for farmers on organic tomatoes processing and preservation.