Food Security:  Kwara Empowers over 3,400 Rice, Crop Farmers

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The  Kwara State Government has empowered  3,400 rice farmers so as to boost food security for the people of the state.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Oloruntoyosi Thomas- Adebayo, stated this in Ilorin yesterday on the sideline of the recent inter-ministerial media briefing organised by the state ministry of communications.

She said that the government decided to invest on the affected farmers in order to bring down the increase in the price of rice and other foodstuffs in the state.

She stated that, the affected rice famers under the aegis of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN)  were given both N:P: K& Urea fertilizers across the State.

She added that another intervention for 10,000 various categories of farmers was carried out, where farm inputs such as fertilizers, agro chemicals and seeds were distributed to the beneficiaries.

The Commissioner also highlighted the distribution of assorted farm inputs to crop farmers, construction and rehabilitation of livestock facilities across the State as some of the major breakthroughs in the agricultural sector of the State.

The Commissioner, while rolling out the present administration’s achievements in the sector said most of the interventions were given to the real and verifiable farmers in the state.

Speaking on human capital development, Mrs. Thomas- Adebayo stated that the State government, through the Ministry has trained Agric extension agents to improve their skills in efficient service delivery. 

She also added that, the State government also facilitated the sponsorship of 14 youths to participate in specialized training at the Soilless Farm Lab in Ogun State. 

She explained that an additional 7,000 maize farmers, 2,000 rice farmers, and 1,000 soybean farmers were empowered in the second quarter of the year to improve their livelihoods.

She further explained that as part of the deliberate effort in developing the livestock sector of the state, the  government through the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) has constructed and rehabilitated solar powered boreholes in various strategic places for both communal and livestock use across the State.

This she said is  in addition to the construction and installation of 60 tonnes solar powered cold storage facility in Akerebiata Abbatoir, as well as the rehabilitation of cold chain facility for storage of vaccine and other biologicals at the veterinary clinic in Ilorin.

Speaking on the effort of the government in safeguarding the public health of the populace,  the Commissioner said the state government has rehabilitated and equipped the State veterinary clinic with modern state-of-the-art facilities to enhance service delivery in the animal health sector in order to prevent zoonotic disease, adding that the state-wide vaccination against anthrax would soon commence with the procurement of over 350,000 doses of anthrax vaccine through the L-PRES Project.

Other notable achievements mentioned included: rehabilitation of two slaughter slabs in Kwara Central, Procurement of 110 fodder chopper/crop residue crusher, Procurement of 70 number pasture compacting and pelleting machine and Training of 300 Extension Agents/Farmers on Small Ruminant Production and Crop Residue processing for improved utilization by ruminants among others.