The Federal Government has called on participating states to provide accurate and credible farmers’ data along with precise geo-referenced farmland information, in a push to strengthen the second phase of the dry/wet season farming, focusing on rice, maize and cassava cultivation.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari emphasised the importance of these data in ensuring the successful distribution of agro-inputs to genuine farmers.
The minister made this announcement during a courtesy visit by the governor of Kebbi State, Dr. Mohammed Idris at the headquarters of the ministry in Abuja. Kyari underscored the significance of reliable data to prevent the diversion of agro-inputs by portfolio farmers, ultimately safeguarding the interests of genuine farmers.
He highlighted the ongoing comprehensive review of the 2023/2024 wheat dry season farming initiative, part of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) project. The wheat dry season farming was initiated in November 2023 across 15 states in the wheat-producing belt, aiming to reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture and encourage year-round farming.
The 15 participating states in wheat production include Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara. Kyari highlighted that optimising both dry and wet season farming would not only increase crop production but also create job opportunities, reduce poverty, curb food inflation and align with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.
The minister stressed the urgency of inter-governmental collaboration to address pressing issues related to food production, inflation and national food security. He expressed confidence in the readiness of Kebbi State to benefit from the upcoming second phase of the dry/wet season farming, emphasising that a significant portion of the state is suitable for rice cultivation.
Governor Idris described the region as agrarian, with fertile land suitable for cultivating rice, wheat, maize, millet and guinea corn. He shared that the state government had purchased N2.8 billion worth of fertiliser, distributed free of charge to farmers, resulting in a bumper harvest. Additionally, the state acquired 6,000 solar pumps worth N5 billion, which will be distributed to farmers free of charge in the coming week to further boost dry season farming.
Idris expressed the state’s commitment to addressing food security challenges and sought collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to enhance food production. He emphasised the importance of addressing food security issues for the collective progress and development of the nation.
