The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), today, August 31, 2021 opened its gates to the teeming population of maize traders within the University’s adjoining communities, to buy the newly-harvested maize at the University Farms being managed by the Community-Based Farming Scheme (COBFAS).

Speaking during a spot-check of the activities at the Farms, while going to inspect the level of work at the University Dam at Opeji, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Felix Kolawole Salako commended the Director of COBFAS, Professor Sunday Adigbo for providing sound leadership of the Scheme with regards to agricultural production, adding that the Director was giving adequate training to students and encouraging them to see the value in agriculture.

The Vice-Chancellor stated that the training of the students on the farm would make them see how much profit they could make through agriculture, noting the lack of interest of agriculture graduates in farming. According to him, it was not ideal to see non-agricultural graduates venturing into farming, while the real graduates of agriculture are doing something else.

Professor Salako further stated that he was happy that the University was able to engage its immediate community in terms of maize production, stressing that FUNAAB was really working as an Agriculture-focused University.

Meanwhile, one of the observers at the Farms appreciated the University Management for the laudable initiative to cultivate and sell maize to the immediate community dwellers, saying that the transportation cost to the major market at Osiele has been saved. He, however, called on the University Management to sustain the activities, saying that the Farms resemble a typical market day in Abeokuta where throngs of petty traders move around in search of commodity to buy.

On the Vice-Chancellor’s entourage were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Professor Clement Adeofun and the Asst. Chief Environmental Officer, Mr. Peter Bolarinwa as well as Engr. Babatunde Otesile of the Vice-Chancellor’s Project Management Unit.