Kwara State Polytechnic has successfully harvested 25 tonnes of maize from its farm, with an estimated value of N30 million based on a market survey.
This bountiful harvest represents approximately 10 per cent of the maize supply that enters one of Ilorin’s grain markets at Ago daily.
Dr Abdul-Jimoh Mohammed, the Rector of the institution, shared the achievement and recounted how the polytechnic transformed its land encroachment issue into an opportunity. He also anticipated that the farm’s cassava yield would amount to an estimated 180 tonnes when harvested later in the year.
“Today, we are harvesting our first farm produce and I believe it necessary to make it public.
“It’s our response to the challenge by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to maximise the potential of the institutions and we intend to sustain the process,” he said.
Speaking during the harvest of the farm yields on Thursday, Mohammed said “With the effort of the management and support of the Ministry of Tertiary Institutions, we have been able to reduce the level of encroachment through the farming initiative.
“We began by engaging in commercial farming. We deploy this initiative to reduce the vacant land, discourage encroachment and make food available and affordable to members of the polytechnic communities and Kwarans.
“We started by cultivating 20 hectares, although we initially cleared 10 hectares and another 10 hectares later with the planting of cassava and maize and we will also plant soybeans towards the end of the rainy season, as advised.
“Come next rainy season, the management is planning to cultivate another 20 hectares and we are also considering leasing spaces for farming to interested members of the public.
“Although we are still working on the modality for this arrangement, the management will forward whatever modality we agreed on to the governor who has been encouraging us on this initiative through our supervising ministry.”
