The Irepodun Local Government of Kwara on Monday said it planned to replicate the Federal Government’s Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) in the area to boost agriculture.
Its Supervisory Councillor for Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Olanrewaju, disclosed in an interview that GES had the potential of solving the country’s problems of food insufficiency and unemployment if well executed.
Olanrewaju said the council had since inception few years ago prioritised agriculture as a way of improving socio-economic well-being of the people in the community.
He said registration of farmers within the council was to avail them easy access to adequate farm inputs and other services to boost production as one of the measures to replicate GES.
“The programme (GES), if well implemented to the letter, no doubt has the potential of transforming the sector to our desired aspirations.
“So, we are also working in that direction to ensure that the desired rural integration envisioned for our communities by our amiable Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed is achieved.”
He said nearly 500 farmers in the 12 wards of the council had so far benefited from free farm inputs, sprayers and chemicals in an effort to improve yields and boost farmers’ earnings.
Olanrewaju said that the council had also acquired lands in Omu-Aran and other towns in the council area where youths were being encouraged to engage in farming as a vocation.
He said this gesture would boost morale of youths since it attracted financial support from the council.
“Crops such as maize, cassava, cowpea, sorghum, guinea corn, yam and other varieties have been cultivated by the youths.
“ The essence is to make farming more attractive to our teeming youths thereby reducing youth restiveness and youth unemployment to barest minimum.”
NAN
