Ahmed flags off disbursement of N125m agric loan

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State yesterday in Ilorin flagged off the disbursement of N215million loan to 172 lead farmers across the 16 local government areas of the state.
The intention, according to the governor, is to lay a solid foundation for the vision of agribusiness based prosperity for the state and a greater number of people.
The governor, at the launching ceremony held at the state banquet hall, opposite Government House, Ilorin, enjoined the farmers to make judicious application of the funds to ensure prompt repayment so that others could benefit from revolving funds.
He further explained that the programme is aimed at extending agribusiness to other parts of the state by empowering a new generation of commercial farmers.
His words:”Our aim is to extend agribusiness to other parts of the state by empowering a new generation of commercial farmers to ensure our people are food secure, establish agribusiness as the pivot of our economy and regenerate agro-allied industrial development”.
He added that “Our 172 lead farmers are at the core of our model of 10 Out growers Farmers per local government who, having demonstrated their capacity for agribusiness and
whose farms have been verified, are receiving funds to expand their businesses”.
The governor further explained that the Off taker Demand Driven Scheme would ensured farmers’ growth by creating partnerships with large farming concerns that would guarantee a steady demand for crops planted by the lead farmers even before they were harvested.
According to him, “Each of these farmers is attached to an Off taker Commercial farming concern with which they have signed Memoranda of Understanding to ensure a ready market for their produce.
“These funds are therefore provided to enhance the capacity of these lead farmers to expand their businesses to meet their obligations to the Off taker farmers under the MOU arrangement while significantly boosting their earnings”.
The governor who spoke about several benefits inherent in the Off Taker- Demand driven approach stressed that apart from reducing leakages and ensuring proper utilization of funds, the Off Taker- Demand driven approach enables farmers to make concrete plans for their businesses by ensuring a ready market for their produce.
With this approach, the problems of post-harvest loss or wastage according to the governor will be a thing of the past as the farmers have concrete arrangements to sell their produced.
He also reminded the beneficiaries that they were expected to be change agents that would train the next generation of commercial farmers in the state in their various communities.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Barrister Anthony Towoju had earlier in his remarks said the programme had been in the pipeline for the past two years and also saluted the perseverance and commitment of the farmers to the programme.
He told the gathering that the programme is a sole crop farming as it has been crop specified for each local government area in their areas of comparative advantage.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Kwara State chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Chief Daniel Ajiboye praised the government for the laudable project, saying that it would make the state food basket of the nation, reduce unemployment rates, among others.
He used the occasion to appeal to traditional rulers to make land available for farmers so as to enhance the success of the project.
He enjoined farmers not to see the loan as a national cake but a revolving loan that would be refunded within a specific period of time for others to benefit.