The Ondo State Government on Tuesday in Akure said it would partner with the Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDITECH) to train farmers on rice production.
Ademola Olorunfemi, Commissioner for Agriculture, disclosed this when experts from MARDITECH visited him in his office.
Olorunfemi said that government had designed a number of programmes aimed at boosting rice production in the state.
“We have been able to present Ondo State for training of rice production in Malaysia and to make Ondo state a bench-mark as the best producer of rice in the country.
“The training is meant to promote value chain in seed production, packaging and marketing,” he said.
The commissioner said that the measures being taken to boost the production of rice in the state were to stop the importation of rice by 2015 as directed by the Federal Government.
Responding, the representative of MARDITECH, Mr Bin Hafron, said that farmers would be trained on seed production and extension works.
According to Hafron, the training programme will run for four months.