By Ola Taiwo
Kwara State Government has kickstarted its programme of free distribution of fertilizers to farmers for boosting of food production in the state.
The programme was inaugurated with distribution of 100 bags of fertilizer to 50 smallholder farmers across the 16 local government areas of the state.
The event took place in Oke-Oyi community in Ilorin East local government area where the 50 beneficiaries received two bags of fertilizer each.
The state Coordinator of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) and one of the leaders who supervised the distribution, Mohammed Salihu, said the
beneficiarues received the two bags to cultivate about one and a half acres of farmland.
Saliu who spoke with newsmen at the occasion said the initiative would ease the financial burden on smallholder farmers.
He described the intervention as a significant investment in agriculture and commended Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, President Bola Tinubu and the Commissioner overseeing the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for supporting genuine farmers.
“We sincerely appreciate Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for this gesture. The fertiliser was given free of charge, and no farmer paid to receive it. Our responsibility was to ensure it reached genuine farmers,” he said.
The coordinator disclosed that about 4,000 verified farmers are expected to benefit from the programme, with nearly 8,000 bags of fertiliser to be distributed across the state.
He urged beneficiaries to maximise the opportunity by applying the fertiliser on their farms instead of selling or diverting it.
“My message to beneficiaries is that they should use the fertiliser on their farms. They should not sell it or give it away because the government expects positive results that will encourage more interventions in the future,” he advised.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Amana Farmers and Grain Suppliers Association of Nigeria, Kwara State Chapter, Mukaila Salaudeen, described the distribution as timely, noting that it coincided with the critical period for fertiliser application.
“We thank the government for making this fertiliser available at the right time because this is when farmers need it most. We appreciate the governor, the commissioner and everyone involved in making this possible,” he said.
Salaudeen cautioned beneficiaries against selling the fertiliser, stressing that proper utilisation would result in improved harvests and increased food production.
He appealed to the state government to expedite the distribution of improved seeds, noting that the planting season was already underway.
“Our appeal is for the government to release the expected seed programme as quickly as possible because this is the only planting season. Farmers need the seeds before the end of the month,” he said.
Salaudeen also urged the government to provide irrigation facilities to enable farmers to cultivate throughout the year.
“We want to practise two farming seasons in Kwara State. If irrigation facilities are provided, farmers will continue production after the rainy season and record bumper harvests during the dry season as well,” he stated.
In his remarks, the Coordinator of the Oke-Oyi Youth Farm Settlement in Ilorin East Local Government Area, Saka Ibrahim, commended the state government’s agricultural intervention, noting that insecurity has become a major obstacle to increased food production.
“We are grateful to the government for supporting farmers. These interventions reduce production costs, but the issue of security must be addressed because bandits are preventing many farmers from accessing their farms,” he said.
Ibrahim maintained that restoring security in farming communities would encourage farmers to cultivate larger areas of land, leading to increased food supply and lower market prices.
“If farmers can return safely to their farms, there will be more production, more food in the markets and food prices will come down,” he said.
He also appealed for additional fertiliser and other agricultural support, noting that many smallholder farmers could no longer afford farm inputs at prevailing market prices.
“We need more of these interventions because many farmers cannot afford fertiliser at current prices. More support will improve productivity and encourage more people to remain in farming,” he stated
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Ramat Ahmed, a woman farmer from Oke-Oyi, thanked the state government for the intervention.
She assured that women farmers would make proper use of the fertiliser to increase agricultural production in the state.
