Rice farmers in Kwara State have lauded the state government’s efforts in providing quality farm inputs to boost rice production.

The Coordinator of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Kwara State Chapter, Mallam Muhammed Salihu, expressed this satisfaction during the flag-off ceremony for the distribution of inputs in Bacita, Edu Local Government Area

Mallam Muhammed noted that the inputs, which included NPK fertilizer and urea, were in line with the farmers’ requests and would significantly aid in producing rice for both local consumption and export. He emphasized that sustaining this program would lead to sufficient rice production and benefit other crops within the agricultural value chain.

He urged the state government to expand the program to include more farmers and assured that the distributed inputs would be used appropriately. Mallam Muhammed also mentioned that adequate measures are in place to monitor the beneficiaries and prevent the diversion of inputs.

Expressing gratitude, Mallam Muhammed thanked Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development for their support. He affirmed that rice farmers would continue to back the state government’s policies and programs.

Other rice farmers in Kwara State echoed these sentiments, praising the government’s intervention and requesting that future distributions start earlier to align with planting seasons.

The state government’s distribution program benefited over three thousand rice farmers across the sixteen local government areas in Kwara State.