By Faridat Salifu
Oyo State is repositioning its agricultural sector to ensure farmers earn more from their produce by strengthening links between farms, processors and markets, as part of efforts to curb post-harvest losses across the state.
The state government says a major challenge facing farmers is not low production, but the inability to move harvested crops quickly to buyers and processing facilities.
By improving rural connectivity and encouraging agro-processing investments, authorities aim to turn agricultural output into consistent income for farmers.
Through the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), the government is supporting aggregation centres that allow farmers to store produce temporarily, negotiate better prices and supply processors in bulk.
This approach is designed to reduce spoilage while improving farmers’ bargaining power within the value chain.
Officials say the state’s demand-driven agribusiness model has attracted several medium-scale processing factories, creating ready markets for commodities such as cassava, tomatoes, peppers and bananas. Some processors now work directly with thousands of smallholder farmers under structured supply arrangements, reducing uncertainty at harvest time.
The government believes that by shortening the distance between farms and factories, agriculture can become a more profitable and attractive livelihood, particularly for young people.
Analysts note that such market-focused interventions could play a key role in boosting food availability while driving rural economic growth.
