The Kwara Government has appealed to the Federal Government to provide a special fund for local councils to enable them embark on mechanised farming.

Alhaji Abdulkareem Ayinde, a Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government Affairs, made the call on Monday in IIorin while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said most departments of agriculture at the local government level were not functioning due to paucity of funds to execute agricultural programmes.

Ayinde said since local councils were the custodians of land, they would utilise the fund to embark on several agricultural ventures.

The former lawmaker expressed optimism that the measure would increase the internally generated revenue of councils and create employment for jobless youths.

Ayinde said the agriculture sector has various sources of generating revenue for the country if adequately funded.

He advised the three tiers of government to stop paying lip service to the agriculture sector that raised brought the country to limelight after independence.

Ayinde also urged the government to focus more on agriculture to arrest food shortage, unemployment and youth restiveness.