Date: 2020-05-19

The 2020 cropping season will begin in Kwara State on Wednesday, May 20th, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development deploying tractors, planters, boom sprayers and harvesters to create awareness about mechanised farming.

This is in realisation of the import of appropriate mechanisation technologies for agricultural growth and development in the State, according to a statement from the Ministry.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Adenike Afolabi-Oshatimehin said in the statement Tuesday that the first official flag off of the cropping season will hold on Wednesday at Alateko Village in Moro local government area.

"The flag off at Alateko is for the Kwara North senatorial district. We are having another flag off for Kwara South on Friday May 22 at Ajase Ipo while the one for Kwara Central will hold next Monday, May 25th, at Oke Oyi, according to the statement.

"The flag-off will display machineries for complete mechanisation of the primary production process such as mechanised soil tillage, planting, fertilisation, and herbicide application to further enhance the productivity of our farmers."

She said the flag off would avail local farmers the opportunity of not only accessing the machines at affordable rates but also demonstrating good agricultural practices on commercial scale as a springboard for the anticipated agriculture-based industrialisation of the state.

Also to be displayed are assorted hybrid varieties of tree crops such as Cocoa, oil palm, citrus, cocoanut, pawpaw, guava and cashew, she added.