The Kwara State Government on Wednesday, handed over 16 additional tractors to chairmen of the 16 local government areas in the state to improve public access to the implements and strengthen food security.
The government also distributed farm inputs as part of the Kwara ACreSAL initiative, underscoring the government’s commitment to agricultural revolution.
Items distributed included 16 tractors; 32,000 kg maize seeds, 18,000 kg rice seeds, 10,800 kg of soyabean seeds, 5,040 bags of NPK fertilizer, 5,040 bags of urea fertilizer; 2,100 pre-emergence herbicide for maize, 720 herbicides for rice, 2,880 herbicide for soyabeans and 4,320 post emergence herbicide for maize, amongst others.
Speaking at the event in Ilorin, the state capital, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Afeez Abolore Alabi, said the gesture was part of the commitment of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to ensure food security in the state.
“Today marks another milestone in the history of Kwara State as we are deploying the tractors to all the 16 local governments for the benefit of our farmers, especially the women and youth in farming.
“We are also going to distribute farm inputs as initiated by His Excellency, again for the benefit of our farmers,” he said.
The commissioner said further distribution of farm inputs will be made in the coming weeks.
He assured that the ministry will synergise with the LG chairmen and leadership of the state farmers’ support and welfare committee to monitor the distribution of the inputs and ensure that the items get to farmers at the grassroots.
“These 16 tractors are specifically coming from the state government and will be supervised by the Ministry in partnership with the state committee on support and welfare for farmers,” he said.
The chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, Hon. Abubakar Danladi appreciated the state government for the gesture and assured that the trust that the administration has placed in the local authorities will not be misplaced.
He pledged that ALGON was prepared to monitor the distribution of the inputs and ensure that the tractors are efficiently put to use to achieve the desired objectives.
