Kwara State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Mr. Bode Olayemi has described FADAMA programme as a calculated attempt by the government to reduce poverty among its teeming masses.

Olayemi who described Kwara as an agrarian state, yesterday in Ilorin at the flag off event of fifth phase of agricultural inputs distribution to the FADAMA beneficiary farmers in the state, said Kwara State government would continually render technical support especially the distribution of farm tools aimed at making the state a food basket of the nation.

According to him, "the objective of FADAMA project which is to sustainably increase the incomes of the users of land and water resources. By increasing beneficiaries’ incomes, the project will help reduce poverty, ensure food security and contribute to the achievement of a key Millennium Development Goal (MDG).

"This objective is no doubt encapsulated in the broad policy framework of the government, which is to develop and expand agricultural potentials of the state to ensure food security, provide raw materials for industries and produce for both domestic consumption and export."

Promising more of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the agricultural sector in the state, the Commissioner said the development would help in employment drive and prompt transformation of the rural areas to urban centres via provisions of needed social infrastructure. He lauded the beneficiaries of the government gestures for coming together under various cooperative groups, thereby making it easier for the government to enter into veritable collaborations with them especially in the areas of marketing of their produce like rice and fish.

Some production inputs like fertiliser and spraying pumps were later distributed to the farmers at subsidised prices.

The state Project Coordinator, Usman Akanbi listed some of the inherent benefits that accrued to the beneficiaries of the African Development Bank (ADB)-assisted development project to include, agro inputs distributed to FADAMA farmers at highly subsidised rate of 50 percent, opening up 30 kilometre road, provisions of veterinary clinics and sinking of deep wells with hand pumps.

Items distributed include 263 sprayers, 40 pepper grinding machines, 30 water pumps, three groundnut extractors, three hammer mills, three yam flour processing machines and 6,600 bags of urea fertiliser among others.