According to The Nation, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has revealed that the African Development Bank (AfDB) has allocated 3,600 hectares of land to the state government for cultivating maize, rice, and cassava as part of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS).

During a meeting with stakeholders and the State Working Committee on food security in Ilorin, the state capital, AbdulRazaq emphasized the importance of boosting agricultural productivity and food security in the state.

Represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, the governor outlined the committee's responsibilities, including policy formulation, capacity building, research, innovation, collaboration, partnership, and farmer monitoring and evaluation.

Encouraging the committee to fully embrace their roles, AbdulRazaq urged them to turn challenges into opportunities for a prosperous and food-secured state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Oloruntoyosi Thomas, highlighted the NAGS's aim to strengthen small-scale farmers' resilience by improving access to inputs and food security.

“The food security working committee has been designed for proper execution of the objectives of NAGS-AP. NAGS-AP is a project of the African Development Bank, and it has put together a good model and identified stakeholders such as input partners, the state government, agro-dealers, and farmers.

“All these partners have been engaged in one way or the other. Therefore, our main role is to select real farmers for the programme that will properly sensitize the farmers on the model in place”, the commissioner disclosed.

According to her, Kwara state is considered for maize, rice, and cassava.

“The state has been given 3600 hectares. As a committee, our role is to monitor and ensure that things are done according to the guidelines provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB)”, she added.

Mrs. Thomas added that the selection of the real farmers would ensure that farmers give back to the government what they were supposed to give out upon harvest.

Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu, the Etsu of Tsaragi and representative of the traditional council, commended the program, pledging the support of traditional rulers, who are predominantly farmers, to ensure its success and address youth unemployment in the state.