The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Production Services and Rural Development, Senator Saliu Mustapha, has flagged off the distribution of farm inputs worth N1.5 billion to smallholder farmers across Kwara State, North Central Nigeria.
The inputs distributed are 5,000 bags of NPK fertilisers, 2,500 bags of urea fertiliser, 1,000 knapsack sprayers, 250 power tillers, 500 water pump machines aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and enhancing food security.
Beneficiaries of the empowerment programme include members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), the Rice Farmers Association, the Kwara State Association of Fish Farmers, the AMANA Farmers Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progress, the Nigeria Association of Women in Agriculture, the Agric Section of the Kwara State Chamber of Commerce, individual farmers, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who are engaged in farming across the senatorial district.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Ilorin, Senator Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central Senatorial District, said the intervention forms part of his commitment to supporting farmers and strengthening the nation’s agricultural sector.
Represented by the Director General of his constituency office, Alhaji Adebayo Ambali, the senator said the programme was designed to ensure that farmers have timely access to essential inputs needed to improve crop yields and increase food production.
He noted that the intervention complements the efforts of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to achieve national food security through increased agricultural productivity.
Senator Mustapha urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the farm inputs, particularly the fertilisers and equipment, to maximise output during the current farming season.
He reaffirmed his commitment to implementing programmes and initiatives that would improve the livelihoods of his constituents.
For his part, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association (AFAN) in Kwara, Engr Shuaibu Salman, appreciated Senator Saliu Mustapha for making the best use of his office as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture to constantly support farmers across Kwara State.
He described the intervention as timely, noting that access to quality farm inputs would help farmers increase production and contribute to efforts aimed at addressing food insecurity.
The Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Kwara State (RIFAN), Mallam Soliu Mohammed, in his remarks, extolled Senator Saliu Mustapha for consistently carrying rice farmers along in the distribution of farm inputs.
He said the lawmaker had demonstrated genuine commitment to the development of agriculture in the state through regular interventions targeted at farmers.
The distribution exercise is the sixth phase of Senator Mustapha’s agricultural support programme and is expected to benefit thousands of farmers across the four local government areas of Kwara Central Senatorial District.
