Towards fast tracking Accelerated Agricultural Food Production Programme, Kogi State Government says the administration has procured 19Nos Bull dozers for land clearing, 11Nos Graders, 2Nos Excavators to create access to farm gates and sites for easy evacuation of farm produce, facilitation of processing and storage of farm produce in which the state has comparative advantage.
Capt Idris Wada, the state governor, made the disclosure when he received in audience, Joint World Bank/FGN Mission Team to the state to assess the implementation progress of FADAMA 111 Additional Financing in his office.
The governor who was represented by his Deputy, Yomi Awoniyi, said the administration equally provided subsidized inputs and credit support to the tune of N750million in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture for 7,500 Small scale farmers, including Fadama Project Farmers.
The administration, Capt Wada added has kept its commitment to donor agencies through prompt payment of counterpart funds for all externally supported agricultural programmes in the state, with the commitment of the sum of N56million as counter part fund for the year, 2014 for the effective take off of Fadama 111 AF.
The governor attributed the non payment of the 2015 counterpart funds to the prevailing economic traits which have affected the state’s earning from the federation account and other sundry sources of revenue collection.
With the progress the administration has made in the development of agriculture generally despite the financial challenges, Capt Wada said he has no doubt that the succeeding administrations in the state will sustain the legacies of creating the enabling environment for the people of the state to have easy assess to essential farm inputs and equipments, while continuing with the government’s integrated rural development efforts to better the lives of farmers and the rural dwellers in the state.
In a remarks at the visit, the World Bank Task Team Leader, Dr Adeyanji Oredipe, commended Kogi State Government for its interest in developing agriculture and creating employment for the youths.
Dr Adeyanji, described the commitment and collaboration of the government to agriculture as unprecedented, said the renewed commitment of the Federal Government to the Alape Staple Crop Processing Zone, the recent signing of the state government to a subsidiary credit with the federal government to take a credit of 20million dollars, would help reposition agriculture in the state, praised the state for being one among the few that paid N56million counterpart funds in 2014, appealed for the state government intervention to small farmers with primary land clearing.
Also speaking, Zaccheaus Atte, state commissioner for Agriculture, said the World Bank Visit to the state was to further the existing support to the state, commended the state government for creating the enabling environment in additional financing that would benefit the state in agriculture.
– Micheal Abu writes from Lokoja
