The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has distributed inputs to farmers to boost food production and address the food crisis in Kwara State.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abba Kyari, said the goal of the input distribution was to support farmers and boost food production in the country.

Mr Kyari, represented by the Deputy Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Abdulmalik Abdulganiy, said it was the resolve of the present administration to attain the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The minister said, “We want to attain the objectives of the SDG, especially that of zero hunger, while also mitigating the food crisis in the country.”

He said the items distributed include power tillers, herbicides, liquid fertilisers, knapsack sprayers, and water pumps to farmers through commodity associations, cooperative groups, farmers with special needs and IDPs.

Mr Kyari said the inputs were distributed to the farmers at no cost and urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of these inputs to produce more food for the nation.

He said the federal and state governments continually engage channels and stakeholders towards addressing issues affecting national food security objectives.

He stated, “We also remain committed to promoting and creating synergies with non-governmental organisations and the private sector to enhance efforts at ensuring food security, economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.

“We also considered the implementation of short-term plans and support mechanisms to make essential farm inputs more affordable and accessible to farmers through a transparent and accountable process.

“Our foremost concern is the facilitation of agro-inputs and basic farm machinery to small-scale farmers, who are constrained by the high market cost of these essential inputs and thus need assistance.”

The State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Faith Agu, expressed optimism that the exercise would yield great result and bring fruitful impacts in the target communities.

The Kwara State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Afees Abolore, said the intervention was coming at the right time, as the state was on the verge of replicating the programme for dry season farming to ensure food sufficiency.

Mr Abolore said the state’s collaboration with the federal government was intact, expressing the state’s readiness to synergise with the federal ministry to provide needed support.

One of the beneficiaries representing the Nigeria Association of Women in Agriculture (NAWIA), Aisha Oyebanji, described the support as a beacon, expressing appreciation that women farmers were not left out.

She said the gesture, carried out over the years, helps build the rural economy and improve the standard of living of farmers.

Another beneficiary, Mukaila Salaudeen, representing the Amanah Farmers and Grains Sellers Association of Nigeria, Kwara State chapter, urged the ministry to ensure that real farmers benefit from any intervention of the government.

Mr Salaudeen said that the government should ensure that the inputs reach every nook and cranny of the state.

 (NAN)