FG, NIRSAL Train 1061 Wheat Farmers/Extension Agents in Jigawa

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

In Jigawa State, a total of 706 farmers and 355 extension agents have undergone modern wheat farming training facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security and supported by NIRSAL.

The initiative aligns with the current administration’s food security agenda, aiming to enhance Nigeria’s wheat harvest this year.

NIRSAL’s Managing Director, Alhaji Abbas Umar Masanawa, revealed that the program falls under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP)/Jigawa Wheat Cluster Project.

Cluster leaders from Kiyawa, Birnin Kudu, Ringim, Hadejia, and Kazaure participated in the first phase of the training across four emirates in Jigawa State.

Masanawa emphasized that the participants are expected to share the acquired knowledge and training materials with members of their respective clusters.

NIRSAL, committed to de-risking agriculture and facilitating commercial finance for agribusiness, aims to support Jigawa State and other states in realizing the government’s objectives.

He stated, “We are contributing our expertise by preparing these extension agents and farmers to make a success out of this collective endeavor for Jigawa’s and Nigeria’s sakes.”

Masanawa reiterated NIRSAL’s commitment beyond capacity building, citing support for the federal government’s food security agenda through training, database building, innovation, and more as a pledge he made during a recent visit to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari.

The initial module in NIRSAL’s capacity-building package focused on Group Dynamics, urging the Project Implementation Committee and Extension Agents to adopt a geo-cooperative approach to cluster formation.