Kwara government empowers farmers with tractors, inputs

The Kwara State Government has commenced the distribution of agricultural machinery and essential inputs to farmers across the state, as the new planting season gets underway.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by his Senior Adviser and Counsellor, Sa’adu Salau, flagged off the exercise on Thursday in Ilorin, describing it as a practical demonstration of the administration’s commitment to food security, poverty alleviation, and economic development.
“Our administration has consistently prioritised agriculture, not just as a sector, but as a tool to empower our people, strengthen rural livelihoods, and create sustainable jobs,” the Governor said.

According to him, the distribution is part of a broader effort to enhance agricultural productivity across Kwara’s 16 local government areas. He noted that further distributions will take place in phases to ensure that the initiative reaches farming communities at the grassroots.

Items distributed at the event included 16 tractors along with matching ploughs, harrows and ridgers; 1,600 bags of maize seeds (32,000kg), 360 bags of Faro 44 rice seeds (18,000kg), and 270 bags of TGX 1951 soya bean seeds (10,800kg). Other items comprised fertilisers, herbicides, and equipment such as 2,400 knapsack sprayers.
Specifically, 5,040 bags each of NPK (20:10:10) and urea, and 720 bags of Single Super Phosphate (SSP) were handed out. Chemical inputs included atrazine for maize, butaforce for rice and soya beans, striker and riceforce herbicides, and legume force for soya bean cultivation.

Governor AbdulRazaq said his administration had also made significant investments in rural infrastructure, such as rehabilitating farm access roads, expanding irrigation systems, and supporting farmer cooperatives.
“These inputs are not handouts — they are investments in your productivity, your future, and the prosperity of our state,” he told the beneficiaries.

Commissioner for Environment, Nafisat Buge, said the intervention was supported by the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) programme, in partnership with the World Bank. She described the initiative as part of a strategic push to ensure food security in the face of climate and environmental challenges.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Afeez Abolore, and his Water Resources counterpart, Yunus Usman Lade, both commended the government for its sustained investment in agriculture, which they said is yielding positive results.