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  • Ekiti Assembly hails Agbeyewa Farms’ cassava initiative, pledges support for agriculture

    Ekiti Assembly hails Agbeyewa Farms’ cassava initiative, pledges support for agriculture

    The Ekiti State House of Assembly has commended Agbeyewa Farms Ltd, a subsidiary of Cavista Holdings, for its large-scale cassava project, describing it as one of the state’s most significant private agro-allied investments.

    Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Stephen Aribasoye, made this remark on Tuesday during a visit to the farm’s 5,000-hectare site in Ipao-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area, alongside principal officers and lawmakers.

    He noted that the farm’s initiative would boost agricultural productivity, enhance food security, create jobs, and drive infrastructural development in the state.

    Aribasoye also praised the Chairman of Cavista Holdings, John Olajide, and the Managing Director of Agbeyewa Farms, Seyi Aiyeleso, for their vision to make Ekiti a leading food hub in Nigeria.

    While appreciating Governor Biodun Oyebanji for fostering an investor-friendly environment, the Speaker assured that the Assembly would continue to prioritize agriculture in its budgetary process to help achieve food sufficiency in the state.

    He said, “This is beyond just a vision. A vision requires passion and commitment to become reality and that is what we are seeing here today. What I have seen today is a revolution in agriculture, one that will lead to development, create more employment and drive infrastructure growth in Ekiti State.

    “I must commend the government of Ekiti State, under the leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, for making this possible. Of course, such progress cannot happen without the support of the House of Assembly.

    “This achievement is the product of collaboration between the executive and legislative arms of government. And one of the results of that collaboration is what we see today at Agbeyewa Farm.

    “You know, the mantra of Mr. Governor is shared prosperity and truly, this is the best demonstration of shared prosperity. For us in the House of Assembly, we will continue to ensure we make good laws that provide the right enabling environment for investors to thrive and for agriculture to grow.

    “Agriculture is one of the key focuses of this government, we in the House of Assembly have fully bought into it and are giving our full support”.

     Aiyeleso said the Cassava Farm, sited on 102 hectares in 2022 has expanded beyond 2,000 hectares of land with efforts to expand to 100,000 hectares of land by 2032.

    He noted that apart from the four major Cassava varieties being planted such as TME 419, Ayaya, White Lion and Dixon, other species including OBJ1, OBJ2, Baba70, Game Changer, Renewed Hope, among others have been added in 2025 with the vision of making it 13 varieties by 2026.

    Aiyeleso emphasised that Agbeyewa Farms Ltd, whose mission stands on the tripartite of job creation, employment generation and workforce development, currently holds the record of the highest yield per hectare in Nigeria by producing 25 tons per hectare in 2024 with the target of hitting 40 tons per hectare in 2025 and 50–100 tons per hectare in the future.

    He highlighted the farm’s ongoing projects in Cassava cultivation, aggregation, processing agro-trading and community empowerment, stressing that Agbeyewa Farms was committed to food security, youth employment and economic transformation of Ekiti State and Nigeria as a whole.

    This feat, according to him was attained as a result of the mechanization capacity of the farmland, with 26 tractors, ranging from 75HP to 275HP (Massey Ferguson and John Deere), over 8 bulldozers, over 40 ploughing implements, planters and other equipment.

    While the Farmland operates on 70% of mechanical planting, he added that the work chain is also extended to human capital which occupies 30% in order to balance work and productivity.

    Aiyeleso also stressed that the Farm created Ingrown Scheme Programme plots, of about 1 hectare of land in order to give back to the community that lease their land to the company and buy their products at premium prices in order for the community farmers to accumulate maximum profits.

    “Last year, we planted four varieties: TME 419, Ayaya, White Lion, and Dixon. This year, we have added more varieties, including OBJ1, OBJ2, Baba70, Game Changer, Renewed Hope; some of these varieties are so new they have not even been officially named.

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    “Today, Agbeyewa Farm records the highest yield per hectare in Nigeria. While the national average is between 6–8 tons per hectare, our farm achieved 25 tons per hectare last year. This year, our target is 40 tons per hectare, and we are working towards 50–100 tons per hectare in the near future.

    “This is possible because of our mechanization capacity. We currently have 26 tractors, ranging from 75HP to 275HP (Massey Ferguson and John Deere). We have 8 bulldozers, with more on the way, we also own over 40 ploughing implements, planters and other equipment.

    “Agbaye Farm is not just about agriculture; it is about building a community model. We are creating Agbaye Town, which will include: Hostel accommodations, Processing facilities and Farm resorts for visitors”. He added

    On Security, the Company’s Director of Community Engagement, Dauda Lawal emphasized that Agbeyewa Farms Ltd has collaborated with several security agencies in the state to ensure maximum protection of staff and products, adding that the community, which was notorious for criminal activities in the past, has emerged one of the peaceful communities in Ekiti. 

  • Farm gets new chief

    Farm gets new chief

    Agbeyewa Farms has appointed Seyi Aiyeleso (a.k.a OSKA) as managing director/chief executive officer effective December 30.

    He was group director of Sales at Cavista Holdings Limited and executive director at Agbeyewa Farms where he acted as chief executive officer, driving the company’s strategic initiatives.

    With over 30 years experience in Sales and Marketing, Aiyeleso’s career spans leadership roles in multinational corporations in the FMCG, oil/gas and the public sector.

    He holds a Bachelor’s in Management Studies (Accounting) from University of Jos, MBA from Bayero University, Kano, and is a doctorate student at Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.

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    He is a fellow of Chartered Institute of Marketing, Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, and Nigerian Institute of Management.

    “Agbeyewa is one of the largest commercial cassava farms in Nigeria, and it is thanks to the expert leadership provided by OSKA,” said John Olajide, chair of Agbeyewa Farms.

    “We are confident that with his transformational and exemplary leadership, Agbeyewa is well-positioned for long-term success.

    “We are excited to have him step into the role of MD/CEO, where he will lead the execution of our 12-point agenda to transform cassava farming and ultimately address food insecurity in Nigeria.”

    He added that Aiyeleso’s appointment underscores Cavista Holdings’s commitment to expanding its market presence and enhancing customer value across Nigeria and West Africa.

    With a focus on innovation and growth, the company is poised to strengthen its leadership in the hospitality, agriculture, technology, and finance sectors, delivering exceptional outcomes for stakeholders and communities alike.

    Agbeyewa Farms Limited, a subsidiary of Cavista Holdings, is a leading agro-allied company committed to transforming agriculture in Africa.

    With a strong focus on innovation, the company is spearheading a cassava revolution aimed at transforming the process of cassava cultivation, aggregation, processing, and market integration, driving food security and economic development across the continent.

    Cavista Holdings is a global investment and holding company committed to creating value and transforming lives through strategic investments.

    Operating across four continents, its portfolio of companies delivers innovative products and services in key sectors including agriculture, financial services, healthcare, hospitality and technology.

  • Agbeyewa Farms driving backward integration in agribusiness

    Agbeyewa Farms driving backward integration in agribusiness

    The received wisdom out there is that agriculture resources, if well-harnessed, can to leapfrog the economy in more ways than one; little wonder many players in the agribusiness and agro-allied subsector are gradually joining the fray.

    With manufacturing giants like Nigerian Breweries, FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc, Nestle, PZ Wilmar; Dangote Group and Flour Mills of Nigeria, drastically pushing for raw materials for local inputs, including De-United Food, Chi Limited, Presco Oil, Okomu Oil, and BUA Group, investment in agribusiness becomes inevitable.

    Thus, economic watchers consider the establishment of Agbeyewa Farms, a privately owned multi billion naira agribusiness initiatives in Ekiti is coming in at the Nigeria is facing significant food security challenges, with nearly 25 million people at risk of hunger due to bandits/terrorists attacks on farmers, climate change, inflation, and rising food prices.

    The agric revolution, currently seated on about 5 thousand hectares of land in Ekiti State, could not have come at a better time when the country’s food insecurity is further exacerbated by factors such as widespread flooding in some parts of the country, which damaged over 676,000 hectares of farmland in 2022.

    Aligning with the lofty vision of Ekiti State to boost Agricultural sector, the owner of Agbeyewa Farms, a subsidiary of Cavista Holding, has invested in Cassava farming in Ekiti especially due to its array of derivatives when processed. Currently, the farm is harvesting about 380 hectares, which would go into the market in the South West region and also other parts of Nigeria.

    Speaking during a tour of the farm on the future goal for the agricultural initiative, the Executive Director of Agbeyewa Farms Limited, Mr Oscar Seyi Ayeleso said the farm would establish the best agro-allied cassava processing plant in the whole of Africa. “And I will tell you that where you are seeing today, where you are today will soon become a cassava farming estate. We are growing 10,000 hectare and we have our agro-allied company here, okay? We will be processing so many varieties.

    “In fact, we are even going into some table food? We are going to produce semovita, noodles, we are going into spaghetti, all those chips, cake, and everything, and we are going to all of them. And by the time you see that, that product line is growing; we need housing facilities for our managers. We are constructing a facility for the field staff, as you are seeing there, that is the accommodation for all the field staff, and they won’t be going home again. We want to also have a facility for managers; we want to have a facility for directors.

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    “By the time you are having all of that, the bank will be approaching you, and we will have banks here. By the time you start all those estates, their children will want to go to school. We will establish school here, by the time the family will want to go for groceries, they will have a supermarket here. By the time people start coming in and seeing all of this, they say, ah come on, I want to sleep here, I want to sleep here and see some of the things, for two days, two days is not enough, I want to go now, but we have hotel here where you can lodge and stay and go around and everything.

    “By the time we are doing that, we are creating a colony here, and that’s what we are going to do. So, we are going to have a farming estate that has never been seen in the whole of Africa and we are likening that to Omnicane in Mauritius. That’s what we are likening Agbeyewa farms. So Agbeyewa is not an ordinary farm, it’s a revolution, it’s a movement. Agbeyewa is a movement and you will see in the next few years, that’s the dream of my chairman- John Olajide and we are walking to get to that dream and get it there, “he said.

    Ayeleso said that the farm has invested a lot of money in cassava cultivation and presently harvesting about 380 hectares, saying, “if 380 hectares go into the market in the South West region and also in Nigeria, it means a lot of things because of the varieties of products, by-products that come out of cassava in terms of garri, fufu, starch, flour.”

    “So we have so many customers who are coming here to buy our cassava for their agro-allied processing company and they are using our cassava in various varieties to actually process into fufu, starch, and flour. Now, the economy of any state has to come, or the GDP, the gross domestic product of any state, has to come from the local level. Okay? If we want to grow the GDP of any state, we have to start from the local level. What are the products and cash crops are they producing that will dovetail into enhancement of a state GDP and for there to national GDP and I can tell you that cassava is one of those cash crops that can contribute very immensely to the GDP, not only of local government, of the state, and also of the nation,” he added.

    Expatiating, Ayeleso said Agbeyewa is helping to create employment and improve the local economy. He said:  “You can see how many labourers who have been offered jobs, today people that are working in Agbeyewa farm are over 500. Our direct staff is over 200. We grew from five. We started from five staff to over 200. Now, if you see in the indirect labour that are in the farm today, some cutting stems, some harvesting cassava roots, some planting cassava, some doing ridges and everything, they are all about 400.

    “As of today, we have about 500 people working in this farm and you can imagine what has done to the local economy, to the family economy of such individuals who are working here. You can also see people who are also coming to establish their trade, food sellers; you have all manner of people who are coming to do all of these things. We are also improving the economy of their family, and by improving the economy of their family, we are also improving the economy of the local government.

    “Now, we have planted over 1,000 hectares this season and when that one begins to ripe for harvest, you can imagine how it will go into the aspect of the state economically in Ekiti state. This is going to be the largest cassava plantation I’ve ever seen in all of Ekiti state, and so part of western region. We are planning to do 3,000 hectares. We are close to about 4,500 now, but our target by next season is to do 5,000, and by 2026, we are targeting 20,000,” he said.

    Echoing similar sentiments, one of the farm’s board members and a traditional ruler, Oba Dr Sunday Aniyi of Erimope Ekiti, said the Agbeyewa Farm was an idea that came about around 2021 following the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic during the administration of former Governor Fayemi.

    He said: “The chairman of Agbeyewa Farms, John Olajide, is from my community, and leadership of the community approached in 2021 on the possibility of investing in Ekiti.  There was also a meeting with the state government under Dr. Kayode Fayemi. So, it was like an investment meeting. After the meeting, we all toured Ekiti, went to Emure, Ise and everywhere where land could be available.”