Kwara State government, in collaboration with an agricultural intervention programme under World Bank assistance, FADAMA III project, has spent about N232 million as part of efforts to encourage small holder farmers on commercialisation and export.

Speaking with journalists after taking the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bode Olayemi, round some agricultural projects being undertaken by beneficiaries of the FADAMA III programme in the state, the state project coordinator, Uthman Akanbi, said that about N100 milllion was spent in the first phase of FADAMA III project and N84 million in the second phase, including the state government’s N48 million counterpart fund.

The project coordinator, who said the projects were pilots to stimulate others to join government’s drive towards agricultural transformation, added that beneficiaries included those in agricultural projects such as poultry, fishery, vegetable, tuber cropping, livestock, among others.

“One of the policy thrusts of the state government is to encourage small holders, monitor them and intervene in their areas of need. Permanent Secretary gives briefing to commissioner from time to time, but the commissioner cannot be treating the paper work without coming to the field to see things for himself. That informs the visit to peasant farmers under the programme,” he said. 

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Agriculure and Natural Resources, Bode Olayemi, expressed happiness that farmers had put the money to good use, adding that they showed seriousness about farming which, he said was capable of improving their social and economic life.

The commissioner, however said that the state government still needed to intervene in the activities of the peasant farmers in order to provide technical expertise needed to improve on their mode of operation.

Olayemi, who said beneficiaries of FADAMA III project included the vulnerable group in the society, such as the poor, widow and People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

He  added that the need to support them arose from the fact that they might not ordinarily have opportunity to survive among strongest people in the society.

He said the government thus deviced a way to help them, saying, “if given the opportunity, they are as good as other people.”