The Project Coordinator, FADAMA III project, Mr. Tayo Adewumi, has said Nigeria can attain food security and industrialisation with the development of the agriculture sector.
He added that agricultural development would also create employment and wealth for jobless Nigerians, while boosting foreign exchange earnings for the country.
The Kwara State Project Coordinator, Alhaji Usman Akanbi, in a statement on thursday said the recent distribution of ADB inputs and equipment in support of Ilorin victims was intended to mitigate their losses and to support agricultural growth.
He stated that the African Development Bank and the Kwara Fadama Development Office, Ilorin invested about N92m of the relief materials to ensure that they did not lose interest in agriculture because of the natural disasters.
Adewumi, represented by Senior Monitoring Evaluation Specialist, FADAMA, Mr. Peter Ajibaye, said over N400m worth of inputs and equipment had been approved by ADB for Borno, Jigawa, Katsina and Plateau states.
He called on all stakeholders to collaborate with the federal and state governments in efforts to adopt modern agricultural methods to boost food production, preserve food and reduce post harvest losses in the country.
He added that with more investment in irrigation, mechanised and commercial farming, Nigeria would not only be food sufficient but also export food products to other countries.
Akanbi said the state government had been of great support to FADAMA in the state.
He added that the Kwara State Fadama Office had been assisting FADAMA farmers, especially with the provision of funds to boost their production.
Kwara State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Bode Olayemi, said the state government was committed to accelerating growth in the agriculture sector in the state.