Kwara Supports 49,337 Farm Beneficiaries
The Kwara State Government has launched a new distribution of agricultural inputs, productive assets and processing equipment targeting 49,337 beneficiaries under the FADAMA CARES programme.
The latest intervention brings the reported cumulative number of farmers and other beneficiaries supported under the initiative to more than 235,000, as the state intensifies efforts to improve agricultural production and strengthen food security.
The development was announced in a statement issued on Monday by Mashood Agboola, Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the distribution is being implemented under FADAMA CARES 2.0, the agricultural component of the World Bank-supported Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus programme, also known as NG-CARES.
According to the state government, 186,230 beneficiaries had received support in previous rounds, while the latest phase is expected to reach another 49,337 people.
These figures produce a cumulative total of 235,567 beneficiaries, although the governor’s statement cited a slightly different projected figure of 235,556.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in Ilorin, AbdulRazaq identified high input costs, unpredictable weather conditions, inadequate farming equipment and difficulties with transportation and processing as major challenges facing farmers.
He said the government’s responsibility was to reduce these obstacles and help ensure that farmers received better returns for their labour.
The latest distribution covers inputs for rice, maize and soybean production, alongside knapsack sprayers, water pumps, power tillers, grinding machines and rice mills.
Other equipment includes cassava-processing machines, fish-smoking kilns and commercial boats, designed to support agricultural production, processing and related economic activities.
The governor urged beneficiaries to treat the inputs and equipment as investments rather than handouts, emphasising the programme’s objectives of increasing output, reducing post-harvest losses and improving access to markets.
He also said earlier interventions had supported farmers across multiple agricultural value chains through the provision of production inputs, productive assets and processing equipment.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Livestock, Olohuntoyosi Thomas, who supervises the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed that the state had deployed 48 tractors and two D&R Caterpillar bulldozers to support mechanised farming across Kwara’s 16 local government areas.
Thomas also reported that 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 initiative reflected the government’s commitment to improving farmers’ livelihoods, strengthening food security and promoting economic growth.
Similarly, the state FADAMA NG-CARES project coordinator, Busari Toyin Isiaka, said the programme was designed to raise agricultural productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and improve beneficiaries’ incomes.
The intervention comes as farmers across Nigeria continue to contend with production costs, equipment shortages, weather-related risks and challenges in preserving and transporting harvested produce.
By combining farm inputs with processing equipment and mechanisation support, the Kwara programme seeks to address several stages of the agricultural value chain, from cultivation to post-harvest handling.
However, the programme’s long-term impact will depend on the effective distribution and use of the equipment, continued support for farmers and measurable improvements in production, incomes and food availability.
The state government says the initiative will continue to support agricultural development and strengthen the livelihoods of farming communities across Kwara State.
