Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has
flagged-off the distribution of farm inputs, implements and agro-processing equipment to forty thousand small holder farmers under his ‘A Koma Gona’, Back to Farm initiative.
The ceremony, which is part of the programmes lined up for the celebration of his one year in office, took place in Ikara local government area, targeting the beneficiaries in the northern senatorial zone of the state.
Governor Sani who noted that, Kaduna is the largest producer of ginger, maize and tomatoes in Nigeria, lamented that farmers suffer post harvest losses especially in perishable produce like tomatoes.
He promised that his administration would revisit the aborted plan to establish tomato processing plant in Ikara to address the losses suffered by tomatoes farmers in the council and surrounding local governments.
The Governor while addressing the farmers expressed delight to be with them, stressing that agriculture remains the backbone of any economy as it provides employment and sustainable livelihood.
“Consequently, our administration has come up with programmes and policies to further boost the sector and attract the needed investment for its growth and development. We are taking steps to address key challenges in the sector in order to restore the glory of farming and the joy of rural living.
“Small holder farmers and small scale agro-processors have been facing difficulties due to the current economic challenges in the country. These category of farmers are very critical in our quest to ensure food security.
“It is for this reason that our administration has come up with an innovative Programmes “Tallafin Noma – A Koma Noma” as part of our “Sustainable Livelihoods Through Social Interventions and Economic Empowerment” initiative. Under this “A Koma Gona” (Get Back to Farm) component, the Ministry of Agriculture is mandated to target a minimum of 40,000 smallholder farmers and farmers’ cooperatives across the 23 LGAs.
“The Tallafin Noma programme includes distribution of inputs for crop and livestock production. For crop production, improved Maize Seed, Agrochemicals, NPK and Urea Fertilizers are distributed”
“Meanwhile, for livestock production (poultry), 30 day old chicks (broilers) with 4 bags of feeds and drugs are distributed, while 50 jumbo juveniles (catfish) with 2 bags of feeds and drugs are distributed for fisheries.
“To boost micro-mechanization of the agriculture sector in the state, power tillers with all the necessary equipment and accessories are distributed to farmer cooperative groups. This is a crucial step towards increasing production and productivity in our farms.”
“Knapsack Sprayer with Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) are also shared to individuals for agrochemical and liquid fertilizer application in their farms. For the agro-processors, vegetable grinders are distributed to individuals, while hammer mills, haulers and threshers are distributed to cooperative groups as group assets.
“These processing machines will add value to our agricultural produce and improve the livelihoods of individuals and groups involved in agro-processing activities,” he said.
The Governor urged the farmers and small-scale agro-processors to make effective use of the equipment and inputs, saying that the efforts were parts of the administration’s committed to revitalizing the agricultural sector.
Earlier the State Commissioner of Agriculture, Murtala Dabo said the initiative would not only boost food security in Kaduna and Nigeria, but also contribute greatly to the administration’s drive to revitalize rural economy.
COV/AMINU DALHATU
