Cavista Holdings subsidiary Agbeyewa Farms is spearheading the agricultural revolution in the cassava value chain of Nigeria. With an emphasis on promoting Economic Growth and job creation, the company has made significant investments in Ekiti State, growing its workforce from five at the beginning to more than 200 now. According to Oskar Ayeleso, the managing director, the farm’s operations are expected to grow even more, with a goal of having more than 500 workers by 2026.
Ayeleso also underlined the significance of community empowerment, emphasising how Agbeyewa’s mission is firmly anchored in assisting local economies and linking farmers to markets. The amount of land under cultivation at Agbeyewa Farms has increased from 100 to 1,500 hectares, with plans to reach 10,000 hectares in the upcoming years. The company’s present concentration is on growing, gathering, and processing cassava, with a particular emphasis on high-yield types including White Lion, Dickson, Ayaya, and 419.
Participants in this program have said they are happy with the setup.
General Manager Babajide Akinsinde stated that, in light of the growing costs of inputs, cassava yields below 15 tonnes per hectare are not economically feasible. With enhanced agricultural methods and technologies, Agbeyewa hopes to produce cassava on an industrial scale with yields of at least 25–30 tonnes per hectare. A key component of Agbeyewa’s approach is the 70/30 partnership model with regional cassava farmers, in which the farm supplies 70% of the cultivation support—such as high-quality cassava stems and technical help—while the farmers offer the remaining 30%.
The company’s value chain manager, Mr. Ejitola Azeez, stated: “We are able to buy back the cassava from farmers through our partnership, which guarantees a consistent market for them and supports our objectives of increasing production.” Over 1,000 smallholder farmers should benefit from this collaborative approach, which would provide steady income and community growth. Participants in this program, farmers, have said they are happy with the setup. “We had trouble with low yields and limited market access prior to Agbeyewa’s arrival, according to one Farmer from the Irepodun village, Mrs. Adenike Ojo.”
Agbeyewa is in talks with international partners.
“Better-quality cassava stems are now available to us, and the business purchases all of our produce. This has significantly raised our standard of living.” Agbeyewa Farms has set specific goals for the future. The company intends to build a top-notch Agro-processing plant in Ekiti State by 2026, with an emphasis on producing industrial-grade cassava starch, which could increase domestic production and replace imports. With the capacity to process more than 50,000 tonnes of cassava a year, this plant is expected to boost Nigeria’s GDP and lessen its dependency on foreign starch.
In order to acquire funds for Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) in the area, which might spur additional Investment and job creation in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, Agbeyewa is also in talks with international partners, such as the African Development Bank. It is anticipated that the company’s activities will have an annual economic impact of about 1 billion on local economies, especially in Ekiti State, through the creation of jobs, direct farmer income, and auxiliary services like equipment repair and transportation.
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Infrastructure development will also be fuelled by the farm’s growth plans, which include plans to upgrade rural road systems and expand local people’ access to Electricity and water. With sustained government backing, especially from Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, the governor of Ekiti State, Agbeyewa Farms is hopeful of accomplishing its long-term objectives of industrialisation, rural development, and food security. “Governor Oyebanji’s efforts to activate the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones will open more doors for agricultural advancement,” Ayeleso said, reinforcing the company’s dedication to collaborating with local people and the government.