The senator representing Kwara Central at the National Assembly, Saliu Mustapha, has flagged off the distribution of agric inputs worth over N1.5 billion to thousands of smallholder farmers across Kwara State under the Renewed Hope Farmers Support Scheme.

The items distributed include 5,000 bags of NPK fertiliser, 2,500 bags of urea, 1,000 knapsack sprayers, 250 power tillers and 500 water pump machines among others for farmers and agricultural groups across Kwara Central Senatorial District.

Addressing beneficiaries at the flag off in Ilorin, Senator Mustapha, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture Production Services and Rural Development said the intervention was aimed at improving agricultural productivity and supporting the Federal Government's food security drive. He urged beneficiaries to make effective use of the inputs to boost food production during the current farming season.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria in Kwara State, Engr. Shuaibu Ajibola Salman, and the state Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mallam Soliu Mohammed, commended the senator for the intervention, describing it as timely and impactful. They said the support would improve farmers' productivity and reaffirmed Senator Mustapha's commitment to the development of agriculture in the state.