He discussed farming with as much expertise as someone who had been in the trade from childhood or had formal training in agriculture. Yet, Mr. Abisagboola, Kehinde Olaniyi, who retired from government service in 2019, had no prior experience of farming until he left public service. In fact, his work, which initially required being on voyage for long periods, did not give room for him to partake in farming. After graduating from Aiyetoro Marine Technical College, in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, he worked with some companies in the maritime sector before changing to the aviation sector. Prior to that period, he had no experience of farming, not even when he was young, as his father was a timbre merchant. But in retirement he had to venture into farming because he did not want to be idle. That was apart from the compelling need for him to look for a way to get money for the training of his children who were still in school. He invariably got to enjoy farming, and improved his efforts because money was coming in. In this interview with Idowu Michael, our correspondent, Mr. Abisagboola took us through the stages of his farming experience.
WHAT EXACTLY BROUGHT YOU INTO FARMING?
As a retiree, fortunately or unfortunately, because I have my children in higher institutions, (I was driven by) the need to settle their bills, need to fend for the whole family and take care of our general being.
More so, I am in my late sixties, I did not want to be idle, and, therefore, lazy around, while (it also gave me the opportunity to) exercise daily.
WERE YOU INTO FARMING PRIOR TO THIS TIME?
Never, I say, never.
EVEN AT YOUR EARLY AGE?
I say Never, and I meant it. One, my father was a timber merchant-cum-contractor, while my mother was a trader. I have never been into farming.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING?
I read marine engineering in a Technical School, and I was opportune to work with some leading fishing companies before crossing to aviation.
When I crossed to aviation, working hours was different, we closed by 3.30pm every day, whereas, while I was with private companies, the closing time, earliest was 6.00pm every day, now in the civil service, working in engineering department, signal section, we are always on three shifts, this gave me a lot of idle time.
While working, I noticed that some of my colleagues engaged in farming within the bushy area around the premises, though on a low key, this was in 1988, December or there about. At first, it was not appealing and at the same time strange.
Having worked on boats of companies like AGIP, OBELAWO, HAVEN EXTRAL Fishing company and so on, in which you are on the sea for months, brought home the strangeness of farming to me.
BUT YOU DID NOT WORK WITH THE FEDERAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY?
No, it wasn’t Federal Aviation, that time, it was CAD, Civil Aviation Department, later, it was changed to FCAA, Federal Civil Aviation Authority, and again FAA, Federal Airport Authority, now we have NAMA, which I don’t remember the full meaning of hand now.
WHEN DID YOU RETIRE?
I retired in September 2019, it was my age that made me retire, I served for thirty-four years. Though my farming experience started in 1990/91, and since then, I have not looked back.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE EXPERIENCE IN FARMING OVER THESE YEARS?
When I started, I was always fatigued, within a short time, I would be tired, but I resolved that I would need to know more in Agriculture, and this kept me going.
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE CROPS?
I planted maize mainly, and vegetables at the early stage of my farming career. I later added pepper and vegetables.
I threw myself into it, I went to Dairy Farm, Agege, owned by Lagos State Government. That was the name given to the place then.
I told them, I had a vast expanse of land, where I wanted to plant maize and vegetables, and I would need their tractor to till the soil for me. It was there too that I was told I can use manure and fertilizer to grow my crops.
Their charges then was around Six Hundred NAIRA to plough an Acre, which was not too much for me.
After they helped in clearing and making ridges, I hired four of them to help in planting maize, because the cleared land was so massive.
My farm became the largest within the facility for so many years.
Whenever my corn was matured and ready for harvest, at times, up to one hundred and twenty women will converge on my farm to buy maize, I was making a lot of money.
Whenever my corn was matured and ready for harvest, at times, up to one hundred and twenty women will converge on my farm to buy maize, I was making a lot of money.
I won’t deceive you,1992, 93, and 1994, during June 12 crisis, I made a lot of money. Between 40 to 70 thousand naira was a lot of money then, I was a bachelor, and you know what that means at least, in terms of spending.
YOUR MONEY WAS COMING FROM MAIZE ALONE?
Yes, but later, I said to myself, “You only plant during the raining season, but you can also plant during the dry season.” That was how I went about doing research on the crops I can plant during the dry season.
I went to Oke Odo, Abule Egba, both in Lagos State, to sound out the Hausa farmers, on the crops I can plant during the dry season.
They taught me how to interspace tomatoes with maize which they said can be done during the dry season, that was when my interest in planting vegetables began, and since then, I have never looked back.
DID YOU SUCCEED WITH TOMATOES AS DID WITH MAIZE?
Yes, but there was a story behind my success. Throughout Oke Aro down to Matogun, I don’t think you can get up to three boreholes then, and here I am, I wanted to engage in dry season farming. Yet I didn’t have borehole, and there was no irrigation, whether private or government made.
What I did was buy some GP tanks and I started buying water from the only borehole at Oke Aro and I will transport them in kegs down to my farm. Later, I switched to buying from water vendors that were using tankers, they will come into the farm, discharge water into my tanks. It was this water that I always used then to wet my tomatoes.
During harvest time, I would have 40, 50,60 baskets full of tomatoes from my farm, and I hired laborers, both men and women to work for me.Now those good times have gone, because I don’t have money to engage in farming like before.
APART FROM MONEY, WHAT OTHER CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE?
Age is telling on me seriously, apart from this, there is no government support, things are costly, what we buy 100 NAIRA before is now between 1500 and 2000.
Age is telling on me seriously, apart from this, there is no government support.
I mean, something like 20gm of caterpillar force, which is an insecticide being used in treatment of infections both in maize and vegetables.
Those days, at least in Western Region, (late Chief Obafemi) Awolowo did a lot for farmers, with the practice of extensive agriculture. There are so many landmarks within the region today, which you can point to as agriculture enabled projects.
WITH WHAT I CAN CALL YOUR LAMENTATION, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT CAN DO?
Like I said earlier, farmers need support in so many areas, tiling the soil, subsidized implements, insecticides, fertilizer etc. They should also send in farm extension officers, who Will train and retrain farmers, with demonstration farms.
Farmers need support in so many areas, tiling the soil, subsidized implements, insecticides, fertilizer etc. They should also send in farm extension officers, who Will train and retrain farmers, with demonstration farms.
There should be a central place for farmers to sell their farm produce to guide against wastage, in short, government should not leave farmers alone to solve the food crisis.