The Kwara State Government, yesterday, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on rice cultivation; processing and packaging with a Spain based Vasolar Consortium.
Under the arrangement the consortium would contribute N70 billion over a period of four years while the state government would make 20,000 hectares of land available for the project as its own contribution to the project.
In his opening remark at the ceremony, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Investment to the state governor, Mr. Yomi Ogunsola said that the consortium would also be responsible for sponsoring farmers in the state for overseas training on rice production and processing.?
Speaking after signing the MoU, the State Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed said the event marked another giant stride in his administration’s determination to use commercial agriculture as bastion of economic growth of the State.
Ahmed who pointed out that majority of the people of the state are peasant farmers noted that the new arrangement would make it easy for them to transform from peasant farming practice to commercial farming .
“We want to move agriculture from peasant level to commercial level in order to improve? the State’s economy.? Lessons have been learnt from the Shonga Commercial farming initiative and we are using the experience gained from there to further enhance agricultural practice in the state”, he said.
The governor added that aside from employment generation? for the rural dwellers, the new rice production project would assist the state greatly in getting the youths positively engaged.