Kwara govt partners Olam on food production
The Kwara state government has said it is partnering with Olam company in the area of allocation of farmland and training of extension workers on the production of soya beans and maize and value addition to scale up food security and nutritional intakes.
This is as the government promised that its doors are open for partnerships with any non-governmental organisations and agriculturists who share the same vision and commitment with the administration to develop the agricultural value chain in the state.
Hon Oloruntoyosi Thomas, the commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development while speaking in Okuta, Baruten local government, on a working visit to the town and its environs, said the partnership covers the provision of 100 hectares of land and seedlings by the government to improve access to good seedlings and impressive yields.
“The focus of the partnership is on improving the productivity in quality and quantity in the soya beans value chain,” the Commissioner said on Wednesday at the Palace of Emir of Okuta, Alhaji Abubakar Idris Sero, who received the team.
“Olam will soon open the soya oil processing plant in Asa Local Government, as facilitated by His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who made sure that the plant is situated within the state for easy processing of soyabeans. Olam has also received the government’s assistance by fast-tracking the land documentation and other processes.”
Hon Thomas, while admitting that Kwara is a good location for a soya beans oil processing plant, noted that the state is blessed with fertile land and over 150 thousand hectares of land is being cultivated with soya beans across the state.
“We will continue to support our extension workers because our farmers need to have up-to-date information on how to farm better through technological driving so that they can improve their yields,” she added.
In his remarks, the Emir of Okuta, Alhaji Sero, said the major occupation of the people of Baruten is farming and appreciated the Governor for his agricultural development initiatives in the local council.
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“We thank His Excellency for giving the farmers the needed attention. Some people are concerned about different things but His Excellency is concerned about the grassroot and giving us attention, as farmers, matters a lot,” the monarch said, pledging the support of his people to make the project a reality.
The Emir described the appointment of Hon Oloruntoyosi as a round peg in a round hole, citing how she is committed and passionate about realizing the mandate of her office.
“Our people have been farming and the fertility of the land will depreciate because of massive farming, and coming to the farmers’ aid to have a good yield is a welcome development and we appreciate the government for this intervention,” he said.
Mathur, for his part, said the programme was to empower the farmers with soyabeans processing machines, technical know-how and good seedlings to ease their farming activities and improve their production.
He said the company, at the end of the harvest, will buy directly from them for the processing of soya oil.
General Secretary, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Baruten LG chapter, Madubu Muhammad, said the programme is laudable as it will increase the output in soyabeans farming and make Baruten one of the highly soyabeans producing communities in Kwara.
The delegation also touched down in Gwane Village, Baruten LG, where the community head, Alhaji Daro Umar, commended the team for the visit and how the government is driving its agricultural policies.
On the Commissioner’s entourage were the Manager, Olam Agri, Amit Mathur; Director of Agricultural Service Ministry of Agric, Hajia Afusat Hussein; and Chairman of Soyabeans Farmers Association, Kwara State branch, Olawoyin Yinka Solomon; among others.
