Wheat farmers in Jigawa State have expressed optimism that this year’s dry-season farming will see bumper harvest following the commitments of both the Jigawa State Government and the federal government towards the National Wheat Development Programme flagged off in the state on Saturday.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, at the flagging off ceremony in Hadejia local government, said the federal government will cultivate 100,000 hectares of wheat this dry season, as part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Jigawa government allocated 40,000 hectares of land to the wheat production programme which the governor, Umar Namadi, said is aligned with his administration’s 12-point agenda. He said wheat production will help in the attainment of the state’s objectives and national development objectives of food security, economic diversification, and empowerment of citizens.
Wheat farmers express optimism
At the flag-off ceremony at Kadume, a community in Hadejia, some of the farmers in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES said that this year’s dry-season wheat farming is exceptional because of the commitment shown by both the federal and Jigawa state governments.
One of the wheat farmers, Sabiu Ibrahim, said he has benefited five times from the government’s support such as the provision of farm inputs to wheat farmers.
“Previous interventions have had some issues, one of which was that the government promised a N250,000 loan to the wheat farmers but we ended up receiving N90,000.
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“What makes this particular intervention different is the confidence we have in the leadership of the state. We benefitted from the fertilizer subsidy under the state government, a few months ago (after Governor Umar Namadi assumed office); farming inputs that were hitherto difficult to access are now accessible at a cheaper rate, and all the machines and other inputs the governor said he is giving were truly provided,” Mr Ibrahim said.
His colleague, Hassan Husseini, said he is optimistic about a bumper harvest in the dry-season wheat farming because the state has provided tractors in the 27 local governments of the state to ease the cultivation of land.
“The government has provided tractors, wheat seedlings, seven bags of fertilizer (to each of the beneficiaries) input machines, and chemicals for pest control at subsidized prices. Put together, the farming inputs worth over N300,000 were given to farmers at N80,000; this is commendable.
“I am hopeful that the wheat harvest this year will be above that of last year because of the input provided by the governments,” Mr Husseini said.
Group alleges exclusion
A Fulani leader at the event, Adamu Dan-Bulama, from the neighbouring Auyo Local Government Area, claimed that only Hausas farmers are being considered in the agricultural intervention.
Mr Dan-Bulama pleaded with governments at all levels to consider Fulani groups in subsequent agricultural interventions.
“We all voted for the government in power. This is the time of payback but the Fulanis are not involved. Let the government know that the Fulanis are also farmers, the world has changed, and one must farm, rear animals, and send children to school. Our children are the ones rearing the cows, while we the elderly engage in farming.
“We believe that the problem of exclusion of the Fulanis groups is from the local government level, the governor is a father to all. In just concluded campaigns, in Auyo local government, nobody contributed more than myself,” said Mr Dan-Bulama who is one of the leaders of Miyetti Allah (a Fulani Sociocultural organisation) in Auyo.
Government intervention to the wheat farmers
At the event, Mr Namadi said the full package of support to the farmers comprises of appropriate mix of fertiliser, in-organic liquid urea, organic fertiliser fortified with booster /growth enhancer, certified wheat seeds, and herbicides.
He said it is expected that the capacity of over 42,000 smallholder farmers will be significantly expanded through their participation in the wheat production programme.
According to the governor, each farmer would be supported with the equivalent of N361,000 per hectare.
“While each farmer is expected to pay only 12.5 per cent of the total cost of the input package equivalent to about N42,125 per hectare at the point of input collection, the balance of N135,275 would be recovered after harvest.
“To provide comfort to the federal government and input suppliers, the Jigawa State Government has worked out an arrangement with Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) to provide a guarantee for the balance of 37.5 per cent of the cost of inputs supplied.
“The Jigawa State Government will provide free high-quality extension service to the wheat farmers for which arrangements have been concluded for the engagement and training of an additional 1,440 extension agents to ensure full coverage,” the governor said.
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