About 6,000 crop and livestock farmers in Kwara State have benefited from the first round of the government and World Bank-enabled support.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said it was part of measures to strengthen food security and protect vulnerable households from post-COVID-19 challenges.
AbdulRazaq, who launched the Kwara FADAMA NG-CARES Result Area 2 inputs and assets to some of the beneficiaries in Ilorin East yesterday, said his administration had keyed into many initiatives which empower as many vulnerable families as possible to get over the hardship imposed by the COVID-19.
He said: “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.
“This programme involves provision of agricultural inputs and services, and agricultural assets for production and primary processing. About 6,000 persons will benefit from this: 3,000 livestock and fishery farmers will benefit from input and assets, and 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 COVID-19 pandemic on them. This will also have reverberating effects on the local economy.
“Beneficiaries of this gesture cut across youth and women cadres in the 16 local government areas of the state. This intervention will continue for the next 18 months to ensure that as many farmers as possible benefit from it in different ways.”
Finance Commissioner Florence Oyeyemi admonished the beneficiaries to put the inputs to good use to promote food security and the local economy.