Hammed Shittu writes on the Kwara State government’s continued efforts to alleviate poverty and also achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in order to adequately empower the people of the state

The commitment of the present administration in Kwara state to add values to the socio economic development of the state; thereby reducing poverty level of the populace, has continued unabated.

This vision of the state government is borne out of the need to ensure that the state is in tune with the global vision of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as this would go a long way to accelerate the standard of living of the populace.
The administration, which came on board via Legacy Continues, has brought a new lease of life to the members of the public through various empowerment programmes designed to improve the lives of the common man in the society.

Empowerment Focus
Upon assumption of office on May 29, 2011, the administration under the leadership of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, had taken the state upwards as far as empowerment of the people of the state is concerned, and this has continued to boost the state unto another level of development.

Among such empowerment programmes were the distribution of taxi cabs to the transport unions in the state; distribution of tricycle cab called ‘Keke Maigida’; and employment of over 2,000 unemployed youths under the Kwara state Bridge Empowernment Scheme (KWABES).

There was also the release of N250 million loans to teachers and the recent employment programme called ‘Quick Win’ where no fewer than 8,500 unemployed youths in the state will be given employment; all these aimed at boosting the socio economic development of the state and most importantly reducing poverty among the teeming masses.

Boost for Farmers
However, in order to consolidate the gains of empowerment programme embarked on in the state, the government took another step by empowering farmers across the 16 local government councils so as to ensure that more foodstuffs are produced to boost the economic development of the state.

This new initiative was aimed at giving a sum of N215 million as loans to the cooperative farmers in the state. The project is under the Commercial Agricultural Scheme (CAS) loans to farmers’ cooperative societies from the 16 local government areas of Kwara State participating in the off-taker demand-driven agricultural activities for 2014.

Official Rationale
Speaking at the official launch of the programme in Ilorin, the state governor, Alhaji Ahmed, said, "This administration’s approach to agriculture views it as a business that requires a meticulous approach especially through facilitating private sector investment along the value chain of crops in which we have comparative advantage".

He said, "Approximately ten years ago, the benefits of this approach were demonstrated when we initiated bold commercial agriculture reform in the state which saw the establishment of Shonga Farms.

"In the process, we not only put our state on the global map, but also started a gradual transformation in the nations agricultural sector with 13 pioneering Zimbabwean farmers as the nucleus of our plans to supplant our mainly subsistence farming with planned agribusiness. As we all know, that journey has been challenging and occasionally disappointing, but our determination to create agro-led prosperity never wavered.

"And as we initiate a new set of commercial farmers using the lessons learnt from the Shonga Experience, the business case for that innovative intervention by the previous administration in the state remains as strong as it was a decade back".

Ahmed added, "Today, we take a step closer to that dream of agro-driven growth with the launch of the Off-Taker Demand Driven Scheme. Our aim is to extend agribusiness to other parts of the state by empowering a new generation of commercial farmers to ensure our people are food secure, establish agribusiness as the pivot of our economy and regenerate agro-allied industrial development.
"To lay the foundation for that vision of agribusiness based prosperity for our state and a greater number of our people, this administration is today disbursing the sum of N214,709,490.00 to the 172 selected lead farmers in the state.

"Our 172 lead farmers are at the core of our model of 10 Outgrowers farmers per local government who, having demonstrated their capacity for agribusiness and whose farms, have been verified, are receiving funds to expand their businesses".
He stressed that, "The Offtaker Demand Driven Scheme ensures farmers growth by creating partnerships with large farming concerns that will guarantee a steady demand for crops planted by the lead Farmers even before they are harvested.

"Each of these farmers is attached to an Offtaker Commercial farming concern with which they have signed Memoranda of Understanding to ensure a ready market for their produce. These funds are therefore provided to enhance the capacity of these lead farmers to expand their businesses to meet their obligations to the Offtaker Farmers under the MoU arrangement while significantly boosting their earnings".

He noted that, "172 farmers have been carefully selected to pioneer this scheme across the state. You are expected to be change agents that will train the next generation of commercial farmers in the state in your various communities. I urge you to judiciously apply the funds that have been made available to you and contribute towards establishing agriculture as the pivot of our economic prosperity".

Minimum Cash
Ahmed reminded the beneficiaries that this programme is semi-cashless stressing that, "to avoid the loopholes of previous interventions, only a small proportion of the funds will be provided to the farmers in the form of cash. The rest will be paid directly to identified suppliers who will then provide goods and services such as farm inputs, chemicals, equipment, extension and other services to the famers when and where required".

He pointed out further that, "the benefits of this approach are numerous. Apart from reducing leakages and ensuring proper utilisation of funds, the Off Taker-Demand driven approach enables farmers to make concrete plans for their businesses by ensuring a ready market for their produce. With this approach, the problems of post-harvest loss or wastage will be a thing of the past as the farmers have concrete arrangements to sell their produce.

"The approach also expands the opportunities available along the crop value chain such as storage, processing, packaging, haulage, marketing and distribution leading to the creation of business opportunities and jobs for our youths. Finally, the process is transparent as it allows the farmers to promptly repay the loan to the banks as the funds and the farmer’s proceeds are channelled through the same bank.

"It is my hope that the success of this scheme will translate into greater prosperity for the farmers, our state and its people, thereby attracting others into agribusiness, especially our youths. Based on the huge opportunities available in agriculture, I remain convinced that agribusiness offers a tested and lucrative pathway to sustained and inclusive for our state and its people".
He therefore urged the lead farmers to ensure the judicious application of the funds to ensure prompt repayment so that others can benefit from the access to the revolving funds.  

Breaking it Down
Also speaking, the state commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Anthony Kayode Towoju, lauded the state government’s new initiative at enhancing the socio-economic development of the state.

According to the commissioner, "As a frontline ministry in the state, we have continued to promote the ideas and practicalise the vision of His Excellency with regards to transforming agricultural sector from subsistence to commercial farming/business".
He said "food security, poverty alleviation and rural development are hallmarks of rapid socio-economic transformation which any responsible government must pursue with vigor as it is in Kwara state".

He said, "We wish to commend once again His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, for supporting the smallholding farmers to enhance food security and their socio-economic well-being through this loan scheme".

On the programme, Towoju said, "each participating farmer, with maize production, will get a total of N1,156,297.50, being the cost of input: N475,500.00, farm maintenance: N658,125.00 and insurance: N22,672.50. A rice farmer will get a total of N1,511,257.00, being the cost of input: N738,000.00, farm maintenance: N743,625.00, and insurance: N29,632.50.

"Soya beans farmer will get a total of N1,327,027.50, being the cost of input: N520,500.00, farm maintenance: N824,625.00, and insurance: N26,902.50; while cassava farmer will get a total of N1,234,327.50, being the cost of input: N543,000.00, farm maintenance: N667,125.00, and insurance: N24,202.50.

"The programme is proposed to be a semi-cashless form to ensure proper monitoring and easy recovery. This being the reason for determined off-takers of the farm produces which are already waiting for the successful outcome and the appointment of Micro-finance banks to disburse and monitor the activities of you farmers and recover the loan", he added.

Towoju therefore advised the beneficiaries to make use of the loans so as to add values to the socio-economic development of Kwarans.