The Kwara State Government says 235,567 farmers and other beneficiaries have received support under the FADAMA CARES programme after launching another round of agricultural input and equipment distribution.

The government said the latest phase would support 49,337 beneficiaries by distributing agricultural inputs, productive assets, and processing equipment.

Mashood Agboola, the deputy chief press secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.

The statement said the initiative is being implemented under FADAMA CARES 2.0, the agricultural component of the World Bank-supported Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.

The government said 186,230 beneficiaries had previously received support under the initiative, bringing the total to 235,567 after the latest distribution.

However, Governor AbdulRazaq was quoted in the statement as putting the projected cumulative figure at 235,556, a difference of 11 from the total calculated from the figures provided.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in Ilorin on Monday, Mr AbdulRazaq said farmers faced challenges including high input costs, unpredictable weather, inadequate equipment and difficulties transporting and processing produce.

"Our duty is to remove these barriers and obstacles so that their labour pays," the governor was quoted as saying.

He said the previous rounds of the programme had provided inputs and services to 54,332 beneficiaries, while 131,898 others received productive and processing assets across 10 agricultural value chains.

The latest phase includes inputs for rice, maize, and soybean production, as well as knapsack sprayers, water pumps, power tillers, grinding machines, rice mills, cassava-processing equipment, fish-smoking kilns, and commercial boats, according to the statement.

Mr AbdulRazaq urged beneficiaries to regard the inputs and equipment as investments rather than handouts, saying the programme was intended to increase production, reduce losses, improve processing and expand access to markets.

The Commissioner for Livestock, Olohuntoyosi Thomas, who supervises the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the state had deployed 48 tractors and two D&R Caterpillar bulldozers to support farming and mechanisation across its 16 local government areas.

Ms Thomas also said 2,016 farmers had received 8,064 bags of NPK fertiliser through the federal government's Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme.

The Commissioner for Finance and chairperson of the State NG-CARES Steering Committee, Hauwa Nuru, said the programme reflected the state government's commitment to improving farmers' livelihoods, strengthening food security and promoting economic growth.

The state FADAMA NG-CARES project coordinator, Busari Toyin Isiaka, said the programme was designed to improve agricultural production, reduce post-harvest losses and increase beneficiaries' incomes.