The Niger State contingent to the just concluded national agricultural show has explained why the state in the 2017 and 2018 farming seasons ranked first according to the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
Niger State Project Coordinator of Fadama III (Additional Financing), Dr. Aliyu Usman Kultigi, who led the state’s delegation to the show, said the state provided all the necessary support to farmers to aid rice production.
Dr. Kultigi said under the Fadama III alone, 11,000 farmers in the state, each with a hectare, had been given all the needed support leading to the cultivation of 11 thousand hectares.
He said six irrigation structures had also been constructed for the dry season cultivation, adding that this helped to scale up all-time rice production.
In addition to this, he said 300 tube wells were sunk for the farmers where irrigation systems were not available.
The programme has also constructed 10 rice aggregation centres to help farmers sell their rice in a more organised manner in the state.
The coordinator, however, lamented that the recent flood washed away over 5,000 hectares of rice farms, the impact of which was huge on the farmers.
Again, Kano shows dominance in agric show
A visit to the Kano State arena in the ongoing National Agricultural Show has shown that no state came near to in terms of appearance.
In its usual tradition, the state came with all its 44 local governments to show what they all produce.
Every year, the state does not only come with crops, services or livestock, it also comes with a zoo, where thousands of people, including school children, go to see animals, some of which they never have the opportunity to see for the first time.
Whatever you wish to see, Kano has something that will interest you; whether you are a dairy farmer, crop farmer or a mere spectator.
