Agriculture: Kwara Ready For Another Bumper Harvest. By Taiwo Adediran

Date: 2018-08-28

The dwindling in the global oil price has prompted government at the federal and state levels to shift their attention back to agriculture which used to contribute greater percentage to Nigeria's GDP prior to discovery of crude oil.

To this end, kwara state government under the leadership of Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed has introduced policies that makes agricultural activities in the state appealing and rewarding for farmers including youths. Thousands of youth are now actively involve in commercial agricultural activities due to conducive environment and support provided by the government.

In 2017, Kwara State Government launched the Off-Takers Demand Driven Agriculture (ODDA) Scheme aimed at entrenching farmers' attitudinal change towards the state's agriculture sector, over the years.

ODDA scheme according to the governor Ahmed has been directly linked with commercial agriculture and formulated to drive employment, boost food production, and diversify the state's economy by matching farmers with Off-Takers.

He further stated that Off-takers Demand Driven Agriculture (ODDA) scheme ODDA is designed to build an agribusiness ecosystem that will reduce food importation, enhance foreign exchange, and more importantly create sustainable livelihoods for our people, especially youths and women.

The state government through the Ministry of Agriculture under the ODDA scheme allocated 2550 hectares of located in farm estates situated in Oke oyi, Baala and other selected villages across the state to over 3000 farmers and also facilitated low interest loan for them. This programme led to tremendous increase in production outputs of farmers while over 1000 young Agricpreneurs emerged from the scheme and the state government has pledged to do more during this farming season.

Apart from that 1,250 local farmers in Kwara state also benefit from the N1 billion loan in the first phase of Kwara/Central Bank of Nigeria 2018 anchor borrowers' programme (ABP). The new initiative by the state government to obtain N1billion loan from the CBN through the ABP platform to drive its initiatives in agriculture was to further empower local farmers in production of rice, maize, soybeans and cassava.

A breakdown of beneficiaries by the state commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Adegoke Bamidele indicated that the programme would involve 500 maize farmers, 350 soybeans farmers, 150 rice farmers and 250 cassava farmers.

Adegoke said: "The programme thrust of the ABP is the provision of farm inputs in kind and cash (for farm labour) to small holder farmers to boost production of these commodities, stabilize inputs supply to agro processors and address the country's negative balance of payments on food." Similarly, Governor Ahmed's administration has commenced process of engaging 10,000 youths through its agricultural empowerment scheme designed to boost agriculture.The Kwara State Government made about 13,000 hectares of farmland available for unemployed youths to engage in commercial agriculture.

The state is actually using the ODDA scheme lure more people in agriculture due to availability of ready markets for their farm produce, thereby eliminating cost of storage and preventing post-harvest losses. The state government does this by getting buyers for the farmers through agricultural produce marketing board.

Besides, kwara state government despite financial challenges in the country continue to assist farmers by making fertilizers and other farm supplements available at subsidized rates. Unsurprisingly, the state Agro Mall in Ilorin has turned to Safe Haven for farmers across the 16 local government areas of the state.

Additionally, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in partnership with the state had constituted a technical team to liaise with some Chinese manufacturers of agricultural machineries on the kinds of equipment that would be suitable for the AADS project.

Therefore, it's apt to say the programmes and policies of incumbent administration in Kwara state are ways of harnessing agrarian nature of the state to boost its economic through consistent bumper agricultural harvest every farming season.

Source

 


Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Amusa Bello     Kanu Agabi     Kwara University Of Education     Lanre Issa Onilu     Osinbajo     Chief Imam Of Offa     Abdulwahab Oba     GANZY     Ijagbo     Quranic Recitation Competition     Plat Technologies Limited     Sarah Alade     Olofa Of Offa     Mustapha Olanipekun     Razak Atunwa     Garba Dogo     2017 Budget     Ndama Al-hassan     Zainab Abass     Hijaab     The Herald     Valsolar Consortium     Makama Of Kaiama     College Of Arabic And Islamic Legal Studies     David Oyerinola Adedunmoye     Ojuekun     Sulu Babaita Isiaka     Nnazua     Unilorin     Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi     Lawal Arinola Kudirat     Ramadan     John Olajide Adedipe     REO CAKES     Oyeyemi Olasumbo Florence     Abdulmajeed Abdullahi     Earlyon Technologies     Abdulrosheed Okiki     Idi-Ape     Doyin Awoyale     Yahaya Muhammad     Adewuyi Funmilayo     Gurei     Transition Implementation Committee     Maigida Soludero Transit     Damilola Yusuf Adelodun     Olumide Daniel Ibitoye     AbdulGaniyu Kareem     Saheed Akinwumi     AbdulHamid Adi     Ilorin International Airport     Face Masks     Rafiu Ibrahim     Lanwa     Kale Ayo     Ghali Muhammed     Olam Food Ingredients     Ajibola Saliu Ajia     Abdullahi Saadudeen Alikinla     Raliat Islamic Foundation     Binta Abubakar-Mora     Kayode Yusuf     Kayode Zubair     Wahab Egbewole     GRA     07039448763     Afolasade Opeyemi Kemi     Egbewole     Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak     AbdulFatai Adeniyi Dan-Kazeem     Olaiya Lawal     Opaleke Bukola Iyabo     Risikat Lawal     Mubarak Oladosu     20 Billion Bond     Kola Ologbondiyan     JAAC    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Kwha.gov.ng     Omu Aran     Afolabi-Oshatimehin Adenike Harriet     Yusuf Abubakar     Bayer AG     Abdulwahab Olarewaju Issa     Mustapha Olanipekun     AGF Abdulrazaq     Sarkin Malamai     Sabi     Forgo Battery Company Limited     Mary Arinde     David Oyepinola Adedumoye     Olawuyi     Towobola Abdulrahman Toyin     Kwasu     Kale Ayo     Afolayan     Lasiele Alabi Yahaya     Pakata     Emir Of Ilorin     Logun     Wahab Olasupo Egbewole     Oniwasi Agbaye     Jimoh Lambe Abdulkareem     Ilesha-Baruba-Gwanara     Bashir Badawi     Funmilayo Mohammed     Kayode Oyin Zubair     Igbomina     Sadiq Buhari     Kwara United     Oke-Kura     Rafiu Ajakaye     Bank Of Industry     Oke-Ode     Oluwarotimi Boluwatife Adenike     Amuda Bembe     Government House     Pius Abioje     Idofin     Fatai Olodo     General Hospital     Kamaldeen Gambari     Babatunde Ajeigbe     Moji Makanjuola     ENetSuD     Raliat Islamic Foundation     Garba Idris Ajia     Sabitiyu Grillo     Share     Mohammed Ibrahim     Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital     Umar Danladi Shero     Ahmed Shuaib Buranga     Raliat AbdulRazaq     Orisun Igbomina     Onikijipa     Titus Ashaolu     Bello John Olanrewaju     Kayode Bankole     Aliyu Kora Sabi     Moshood Bakare     Ijakadi     Rueben Parejo     Abubakar B.M     Aliyu Muyideen     Col. Taiwo     Baba Idris     Wole Oke     Dauda Adeniran Adeshola     Ibrahim Taiwo     Aishat Mohammed Lawal     Joseph Daudu     Kwara State Branch Of The National Library     Owo Arugbo     ASUU