The Kwara government has expressed intention to make the state the food hub of Nigeria.
Commissioner for agriculture and rural development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, stated this recently when she hosted a China-Africa Economic and Trade Council delegation and representatives of the organised private sector in Ilorin.
The commissioner explained that the investors’ visit resulted from the Kwara government’s ongoing investment drive in the agricultural sector.
According to her, the Kwara government had previously sent a delegation to China with other Nigerians to learn about reforms and tax policies.
“The visit was intended to learn about various reforms the People’s Republic of China has implemented, which have gotten them to where they are today,” she said.
Ms. Thomas said Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had instructed the Ministry to share all the sector’s challenges with the Chinese investors and bring them together with other relevant bodies.
She noted that the collaboration would go a long way in addressing the identified issues and achieving sustainable development in the agricultural sector.
“The challenges include inputs, production, processing, market linkage, as well as the entire value chain operations. On this basis, the delegation decided to visit rice farmers at Shonga, Valentine Chicken, rice farmers at Lafiagi, Edu local government area of the state,” she said.
“The delegation also visited the Industrial Park under construction, the fertiliser blending plant, and the Rice Mill factory,” she added.