By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Kwara State Government has reassured subsistence farmers in the State of its commitment to uplifting them through its several intervention programmes in the agricultural sector.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mallam Gidado AbdulLateef Alakawa, gave the assurance in Ilorin, the state capital, during a stakeholders engagement with the Zuru Farming Community in Adewole Ward, Ilorin West Local Government Area of the State.

The Commissioner said subsistence farmers have a critical role to play in achieving government’s agricultural transformation plan of making agriculture the revenue hub of the state economy, adding that this has translated to an incredible increase in the number of people involved in agricultural activities in the State.

Mallam Alakawa noted that Zuru community is a major farming bloc dealing in large scale plantation of various crops for both domestic consumption and exportation, thereby complementing employment opportunities, increasing revenue generation and ensuring food security in the state and the country at large.

He assured the Zuruu farmers of government’s favourable consideration of their request for an all-year-round farming programme as well as other ongoing agricultural intervention programmes.

Earlier, the Facilitator, Mr. Tejidini Olayinka, had disclosed that Zuru is a large farming Community in Adewole area, contributing their quota to the economic development of the state.

“Zuru community is a sub-set within the state and contributing to the economy of the state through their farming activities and value chain process in the state”, Olayinka added.

The Zuru farmers, he said, wanted the state government to empower them through the provision of improved seedlings, agro-chemicals, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs and machineries that would enhance their farming activities.