At least 6,000 crop and livestock farmers in Kwara State have benefited from the first round of government and World Bank-enabled support along agricultural value chains.

According to the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, it was part of measures to strengthen food security and protect vulnerable households from post-COVID-19 challenges.

Inaugurating the Kwara FADAMA NG-CARES inputs and assets to some of the beneficiaries in Ilorin East Local Government, AbdulRazaq said the administration had keyed into many initiatives which empowered as many vulnerable families as possible to get over the hardship imposed by COVID-19.

“One of such is the FADAMA NG-CARES (Results Area 2), which has been planned to boost food security and deliver prosperity along agricultural value chains to thousands of poor households across Kwara State,” he added.

He added: “This programme involves the provision of agricultural inputs and services and agricultural assets for production and primary processing. At least 6,000 people will benefit from this. While 3,000 livestock and fishery farmers will benefit from input and assets, additional 3,000 crop farmers will also receive inputs and assets of different kinds. All of these are designed to support our farmers and lessen the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on them. This will also have reverberating effects on the local economy.”

The governor said the administration was transforming the agricultural sector, listing some of its achievements to include the recent launch of a 10-year Agricultural Transformation Plan, the purchase of 15 new tractors, two bulldozers and previous distributions of inputs and implements to thousands of farmers across the state.