Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has launched a 10-year agricultural transformation plan designed to ensure food security, generate employment opportunities, reduce the poverty rate and make Kwara food sufficient by 2030.
During his remarks at the plan’s launch, which was hosted virtually from the state capital of Ilorin, the governor disclosed that the outline of the scheme included both opportunities and challenges within Kwara’s agricultural sector and that it identified six pillars critical to the success of the plan.
According to Gov. AbdulRazaq, the document also came with measurable milestones to ensure faithful implementations by all involved stakeholders. He added that the plan hinges on six key areas: crop production, finance, livestock, market access, value chain and cross-cutting programs.
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“It is a 10-year plan which is based on verifiable data gathered from field research and extensive consultations with various stakeholders and experts in the sector.
“The essence of this document is to ensure food security, attract investments to the sector, create jobs, reduce poverty, and create inclusive growth by giving equal opportunities for women and girls to also benefit from everything that this plan has to offer,” he said.
Yakubu Danladi Salihu, speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, stated that the AbdulRazaq administration has been working to improve rural road infrastructure with the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), which is slated to address about 700 kilometers of road, making the transportation of farm produce easier.
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AbdulQowiy Olododo, technical assistant to the governor on agriculture, noted that the plan captures the sector’s vast potentials and itemizes steps that can be taken to harness these potentials and turn them into tangible benefits for all.
Umar Muhammad Aboki, state chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, praised the state government for consulting farmers and involving them in the plan.
