Kwara to become nation’s food hub – Agric Commissioner

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The Kwara State Government has reiterated its commitment to making the state the food hub of the country.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, made this assertion while receiving a delegation from the China-Africa Economic and Trade Council and representatives of the organized Private Sector in Ilorin, the state capital.

In a statement by the Assistant Press Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Oladipo Olushola, the commissioner disclosed that the investors’ visit was a result of the state government’s investment drive in the agricultural sector.

According to her, the state government had earlier sent a delegation to China, along with other Nigerians, to learn about policies reform, tax policies, and various reforms undertaken by the People’s Republic of China, which have contributed to their current status.

Mrs Thomas explained further that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has directed the Ministry to share with the Chinese investors all the challenges facing the sector and collaborate with other relevant bodies to address these problems, with the aim of achieving sustainable development in the agricultural sector.

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“The challenges include inputs, production, processing, market linkage, as well as the entire value chain operations. Consequently, the delegation decided to visit Rice Farmers at Shonga, Valentine Chicken, Rice Farmers at Lafiagi in Edu Local Government Area of the State, the Industrial Park under construction, Fertilizer Blender, and the Rice Miller Factory.”

Speaking, the leader of the Chinese investors, Mr. Zhensheng Li, stated that the main purpose of their visit to various sections of the agricultural value chain in the state was to understand how best to address the identified challenges in terms of inputs, machines, and other farm equipment to achieve efficient operations.

The representative of the organised private sector, Nicholas Igwe, disclosed that the body is willing to support President Bola Tinubu and the Kwara State Government in the quest to transform the agricultural sector.

Mr Igwe hinted that the body was already operational in the six geopolitical zones and ready to invest significantly to bring sustainability, efficiency, and economic growth to the state and the nation at large.