KATSINA – The Federal Government has donated farm equipment worth millions of naira to the Katsina state government to support it’s farmers across the state.
The equipment include, 4,000 of 3inch water pump machines, 4,000 units of knapsack sprayers, 4,000 litres of insecticide chemicals, 4,000 litres of selective herbicides, 4,000 litres of non-selective herbicides, 4,000 litres of organic fertilizer and 4,000 hermatic storage bags.
Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security disclosed this at the launching and distribution of 4,000 hand power tillers, 4,000 solar powered water pumps and 48,000 bags of fertilizer to farmers to support agricultural development in Katsina on Monday.
He said this interventions without doubt guarantee increased production, enhance farmers livelihood through promotion of sustainable practices and optimum resource use efficiency.
“This kind of supportive interventions is in line with the call by the administration for greater cooperation in collaboration between the federal government and some national entities”.
The Minister added that the ministry would continue to ensure affordable quality seeds and urged state government to key into the measures being implemented by the federal government to meet the mandate of the goal on food security declared by the President.
“Evidently, Katsina is one of the state where production took place with 99.7 percent success recorded during the 2023-2024 dry season wheat cultivation, as well as, 98.23 percent success recorded in the last 2024 wet season programme under the federal government input support initiatives”.
Senator Kyari commended the Katsina state government under the leadership of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda for performing creditable in the numerous federal government intervention programmes in the state.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, in his address, said the administration has prioritized agricultural sector as the mainstay of the state’s economy by way of enhancing GDP, IGR, employment opportunities, investment, curving rural-urban drift, miming indolence and improved livelihood.
“Our strategic collaborations and partnership with development partners such as NG-CARES, IFAD-VCN,
RAAMP, ACReSAL, IsDB, AfDB-SAPZII among others has opened up green opportunities for investment into value
and financial inclusion addition, agro-processing, stimulating the local economy”.
According to him, last year, we started dry season farming support programme where we supported farmers under six commodities viz: tomato, pepper, onion, cabbage, carrot and water melon with drilling of bore-hole, solar water and herbicide urea fertilizer, pump, N.P.K fertilizer, insecticide at six (6) clusters per LGA, across 34 local government areas of the state. A total of 2040 farmers were supported.
He commended the generousity of the Federal Government through CBN for donating 80 trucks of assorted fertilizers to Katsina State Government, adding that, these inputs would be distributed to genuine farmers to enhance food production in the State.
“These farm machineries are meant to reduce if not totally eliminate farm drudgery, build resilience of the farmers from reduced access to animal traction. It is an investment in your future, your families’ future, our state’s future and the future of our dear nation. By sustaining soil productivity and fertility with the fertilizers couple with tillage machineries and ensuring sustainable water
application through the solar powered machines, you can have increased crop yields, translating to higher revenues”, he concluded.
Prof. Ahmed Mohammed Bakori, the state Commissioner of Agriculture and Livestock Development, in his welcome remarks, expressed appreciation to the Governor for giving agriculture top priority under his leadership to be transformed into a modern value chain.
Bakori who noted that, this initiatives would ensure industrialization, create wealth, employment and food security, however called on the beneficiaries to avoid selling the equipment as anyone caught would have him or herself to blame.
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