Following the distribution of palliative maize to farmers at subsidised rate by Kwara State government, the price of maize has crashed in Ilorin, the state capital.
The distribution of the palliative maize was supervised by a pressure group, Kwara Must Change.
A kilogramme of maize, which was previously sold for N600 in the market is now being sold for N400, after livestock farmers who are the most consistent buyers of maize for feed redirected their resources to enjoy hugely subsidized palliative from government.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the ongoing distribution of maize palliative by the state government is targeted at small and medium scale farmers, most of whom are beneficiaries of the ongoing palliative distribution.
Unlike previous palliative distribution where targeted beneficiaries struggled to get the product, the ongoing process reached the right beneficiaries, bringing the product to their door steps.
One of the beneficiaries, Abdullahi Olayanju said that the opportunity to buy the subsidised maize came to him at his farm, while minding his business and he initially dismissed it as an impossibility.
He said:” I was contacted by someone who wanted to confirm if indeed I am a livestock farmer and when I confirmed that, he wanted me to do a video of my farm, with explanation of how we use feed and the quantity we use per day. Initially, I was reluctant, but after I confirmed that some of my other associates were equally contacted to do the same, I did as requested”.
The beneficiary added that, “after a while, we didn’t hear anything and thought that was the end, but suddenly, I was contacted that a team would visit my farm to confirm what I do and after the visit, different individuals would call to ask different questions, which I later learned was to double check the information I had provided earlier.
“After the back and forth question I was contacted that an allocation has been made for my farm and I went through the process, paid the stimulated fees and received my product without any hustle.”
Another beneficiary, Yusuf Gani, who narrated an interesting story explained that, “before I was given the product, we heard that the politicians had hijacked the process, so we mobilized each other to the distribution point.
“When the committee arrived, we confronted them, but they were not moved or bothered by our agitation, they simply told us they were following an organized process and nothing would change their process”.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Mariam Olaitan urged the government to retain the distribution pattern, as it reached out to the real small-scale farmers, who are not politically connected.
She said this is the first-time people would be called from their farm to receive government allocation without struggling for it.
