Aiyedatiwa flags off Noreta Farms’ 100,000-hectare agribusiness project in Ondo
Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has announced the declassification of 100,000 hectares of land for the cultivation of oil palm, cashew and cocoa to boost industrial-scale agriculture and attract private investment into the sector.
The governor made the disclosure on Wednesday at the groundbreaking ceremony of Noreta Farms, a technology-driven agribusiness project located at Owena-Idanre, off the Akure–Ondo Road.
Aiyedatiwa said the land declassification was aimed at deepening agricultural investment, expanding employment opportunities and positioning Ondo State as a hub for modern, large-scale farming. He described the project as part of a deliberate strategy to transform agriculture from subsistence practice to an export-oriented, wealth-creating sector.
He commended Noreta Farms Limited for choosing Ondo State for its high-tech, closed-environment farming project, describing it as a model of precision agriculture aligned with the state’s economic development agenda.
The governor said the state government had created an enabling environment for investors through its OUR EASE policy thrust, which provides policy clarity, infrastructure support, ease of doing business and improved security of lives and property.
He also highlighted the administration’s focus on value addition in agriculture, citing the Climate Smart Agriculture programme under which Ondo State has become a major supplier of tomatoes to Lagos State, while several investors are already engaged in oil palm production on the declassified lands.
A member of Noreta Farms’ Board of Directors, Pelumi Olajengbesi, said the decision to locate the project in Ondo State followed an assessment of government support, security and the favourable business environment in the South-West.
Olajengbesi added that the initial phase of the project would cover 15,000 hectares under Precision Green Farming, also known as closed-environment farming, with a long-term vision of establishing the largest market farm in West Africa.
