The Kwara State Government, North Central Nigeria, has expressed its readiness to partner with Japan International Cooperation Agency , JICA, on the implementation of the State Agricultural Transformation Plan.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Oloruntoyosi Thomas made the disclosure during a meeting with the JICA Team at the Ministry's Headquarters in Ilorin.

The Commissioner said that “the present administration has been strategic in the implementation of an agricultural plan project of action through its Transformation Master Plan” as a guide to achieve success in the sector.

She disclosed further that the state government, under the leadership of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had invested heavily in agricultural infrastructure and programmes, which are of immense benefits to the people of the state through various projects such as Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, RAAMP, Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, SAPZ, and Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, L-PRES, among others.

More Interventions

Mrs. Thomas explained that the focus of the present administration is “to ensure availability, accessibility and affordability of food to every citizen of the state,” noting that more interventions were still needed to consolidate on the achievements of the sector.

The Commissioner, however, assured the JICA team of the necessary “cooperation and support” of the state government in its efforts at complementing the state to further develop the agricultural sector.

The State Contact Person, Professor Ige Olusegun Omoniyi disclosed that the purpose of the team in the state is “to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the state agriculture sector, through a reliable data that would assist the team to know the areas of possible assistance.”

According to him, the Cooperation had been in existence in Nigeria for over 40 years and saddled with, responsibilities, to support participating states in financing infrastructural development.

Earlier, the team lead, Mr. Tsuneo Kuwahara, who also doubles as the Cooperation Agricultural Infrastructure Expert, explained that the team was in the state to conduct a data collection survey that would contribute to the improvement of agricultural productivity and production capacity.

The purpose of the survey, he stated, is to formulate a long-term supporting strategy of JICA in terms of agricultural finance and infrastructure in the state.

Mr. Kuwahara further informed the Commissioner that his team had earlier visited Duku-Lade 'Irrigation Site,' located in the Patigi Local Government Area of the state, due to its strategic importance to irrigation project.

It would be recalled that JICA Mission Team had earlier visited Governor AbdulRazaq in June this year, where a strategic partnership agreement was reached with cooperation on education and agriculture, due to the state government's investment in the two sectors.