Foremost lawyer Afe Babalola (SAN) has again set aside N34million as part of the money to be shared among 81 best performing farmers in Ekiti State.

The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, (LOC) of the annual event, Prof. Abiodun Ojo, made this known yesterday in Ado-Ekiti at the opening of this year’s edition.

The programme is anchored under the annual ‘Afe Babalola Agricultural Expo and Youth Development’, as a mark of his annual contributions towards promoting the agricultural sector.

Ojo said Babalola conceptualised the annual programme to address the relegation of agricultural sector to the background against other emerging blue chip endeavours, and its attendant effects on food security in the country.

He said five top farmers had been selected in this year’s event, from each of the constitutionally- recognised local governments in the state, with the best farmer from each council going home with N200,000; second best farmer, N150,000; third best farmer, N100,000; fourth best farmer, N75,000 and fifth best farmer, N50,000.

Ojo said the size of this year’s annual cash award was higher than that of last year, which he put at N32million, adding that the overall best farmer across the state would be given N2million, among other gifts.

He said unemployed youths would be empowered with huge cash and high-tech equipment used for smoking fish, with the least of the equipment valued at over N135,000.

Governor Kayode Fayemi, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Olabode Adetoyi, hailed the legal icon for his gesture.

“Baba Afe Babalola is doing quite great, we appreciate him for his selfless efforts and support in making the state great at all times, especially in terms of provision of jobs and ensuring food security”, he said.

He said the outgoing government had never at any time rested on its oars in funding the agricultural sector, adding that N430million and N2billion were expended on farm inputs and to clear farmlands.