According to news report from Kwara State Government News Website, food security remains a top priority for the Kwara State Government, with billions of naira allocated to various agricultural initiatives this year, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Kwara Youth Farm in Malete, Moro Local Government Area, where approximately 1,500 hectares are being cultivated for soya bean production this season, AbdulRazaq emphasised the government’s commitment to enhancing food security.

He was accompanied on a tour of the expansive farm by Arowojobe Tolulope, the project manager, and Ibrahim Tunji Mukaila, the farm manager.

“Apart from many other initiatives, this is to deepen our resolve on food security. I am here to see things for myself and to make sure that the right investments are put in place. I am on site to see that our investment programmes (in agric) are being implemented, and to see the challenges we are facing,” he told reporters on the sideline of the visit.

“I’m impressed with what I’ve seen; it’s very good. We need to do more, and we will continue to do more. This will lead us to a bumper harvest at the end of the season and prepare us for the dry season farming, during which we will certainly escalate things.”

The Governor’s tour of the Malete Farm comes as the administration escalates its support for farmers across the state.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is currently distributing seedlings, fertilisers, and other farm inputs to at least 10,000 farmers.

Recently, the state executive council approved N2.9bn worth of support for farmers — a few weeks after the Governor on June 26 launched the distribution of the fourth phase of agricultural and infrastructural assets under the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme, targeting over 600,000 beneficiaries across different categories in the 16 local government areas.