- Mr. Jegede initiated the farm, encompassing palm oil production, piggery, cattle rearing, and arable cropping, in 2015 post-retirement
An inferno ravaged over 50 acres of palm trees and pineapples, estimated at N150 million, at Royal Farm in Akeredolu Village, Osu, located in the Atakumosa West Local Government Area of Osun.
Rufus Jegede, the farm’s founder, revealed the devastating incident during a news conference on Sunday, stating that the fire occurred last Friday.
Mr. Jegede initiated the farm, encompassing palm oil production, piggery, cattle rearing, and arable cropping, in 2015 post-retirement. Prior to the tragedy, the farm produced a weekly average of 50 kegs of palm oil and an annual harvest of about 500 tons of pineapples.
The destruction resulted in the loss of nearly 4,000 palm trees and five acres of pineapple farm, leaving Mr. Jegede lamenting the absence of any harvest from these crops this year.
He said that only his farm was destroyed by the fire, thus suspecting that some hoodlums, whom he described as “wicked individuals”, might have set the farm ablaze.
“This is the third time that the farm would be ravaged with fire since its establishment,” he said.
Mr Jegede further stated that a man, identified as Sunday, who used to disturb, steal, and harvest their plantain and pineapple, had been apprehended in connection with the fire.
He complained of laziness among some youths, who were not ready to contribute their quota toward making Nigeria greater.
“Most of the people doing farming in Osun are northerners and foreigners. It appears as if our youths are not interested,” he added.
Mr Jegede, however, expressed the regret that despite the popularity of the farm, no government agency had come to visit the facility, adding that there had also been no intervention or support from anywhere.
He called on the government to prioritise agriculture by making policies to further encourage farming in the country.
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