To promote sustainable development in the rural areas, through agriculture, the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), has flagged off Cycle 2 of its BATNF-Ote Community Cassava Enterprise Value-chain Development Project.

The occasion which held at the project farm, Ojutaye Village, Ote in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, was highlighted by the distribution of agricultural farm inputs to some farmers in the locality.

In his opening remarks, the Managing Director, Kwara State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), Dr. Sunday Atanda, thanked the BATNF for providing support to small-holder farmers in Ote. He noted that the project, which the Kwara State Agricultural Development Project is the implementing partner, is a collaborative effort in bringing the much-needed assistance to the 30 selected small-holder cassava farmers in the community through land preparation, trainings, inputs distribution and market linkages which are very critical to the sustaina-bility of the project.

He enjoined the farmers to be committed to the project so as to have the desired and expected results at the end of the season.

He assured them that if they "Work hard and produce the expected tonnage per hectare, with the support of BATNF, we will identify markets to sell your produce to." He said this would further "Encourage the Foundation to support other smallholder farmers in other local government councils."

Delivering an address on behalf of the Foundation's General Manager, Ms Abimbola Okoya, the foundation's Project Manager, Remi Adewole, said that the gathering of the dignitaries, benefit-ting farmers and community attests to the premium value of the project. He lauded the smallholder farmers for their unwavering commitment in ensuring that the set goals of the Foundation, such as poverty alleviation and wealth creation, are met.