Food Security: Agric Minister visits Jigawa, assures support for wheat farmers

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

As part of efforts to ensure maximum food security in the country, the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, paid a field visit to Jigawa State to inspect some of the 70,000 hectares of land identified for wheat production.

The minister also announced that the federal government has approved an additional 20,000 hectares, bringing the total to 90,000 hectares for the 2023 dry season wheat production in Jigawa State.

Speaking at Marma village in Hadejia Local Government Area, the minister assured farmers that the federal government, in collaboration with the state government, would provide them with all necessary technical support and inputs at a subsidized rate.

“The federal government under President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to provide every assistance and intervention to farmers to expand their farming, increase yield, and promote food security, job creation, growth, and development,” he said.

“By God’s grace, large, medium, and small-scale farmers will be supported through registered clusters, and all interventions will be given at the right time for the success of the program.”

“In an effort to tackle the challenges of climate change, the federal government has come up with the Smart Agriculture policy, under which an agency will be established to guide farmers on when to plant crops, how to plant them, and other related measures,” the minister added.

Also speaking during a courtesy visit to the state governor, the minister expressed appreciation for the level of preparation on the ground and the commitment of the state government to the success of the project.

“We gave the allocation of 50,000 hectares, but because of the Jigawa State government’s determination and commitment, we expanded it to 70,000. We hope other states will emulate this,” the minister said.

In his response, the state governor, Malam Umar Namadi, reiterated the commitment of his government to joining hands with the federal government and any other collaborator to support farmers and improve agricultural outputs in the state.

He noted that farmers in the state are very enthusiastic about the wheat program, but the federal government must take all necessary measures to ensure the quality of seeds to be provided, and all inputs must be given on time to avoid late planting or poor harvest.

“We did it for rice, we will do it for wheat, and we will succeed by God’s grace,” Governor Namadi said.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Alhaji Abdu Marke promised to cooperate with the federal and state governments as well as all other key stakeholders for the success of the program.