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Niger State Government has launched initiative to support farmers with agricultural inputs for dry season farming to boost food production and security which aligns with the state Governor, Umaru Bago’s agricultural revolution, focusing on grassroots intervention.
The initiative provides farmers with essential inputs like fertilizers, quality seeds among others to enhance productivity, and to participate, farmers must register with required details, including name, gender, date of birth, phone number, identification and GPS coordinates.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture , Alhaji Musa Bawa Bosso disclosed this during a town hall meeting in preparation for 2024/2025 dry season farming in the state.
The programme, supported by Niger Foods, Security Systems and Logistics Company Ltd, targets farmers across the three Senatorial zones of the state.
Bawa-Bosso said the initiative aligns with Governor Umaru Bago’s agricultural revolution, focusing on grassroots intervention to support farmers with inputs.
“Farmers will receive support to cultivate rice, maize and vegetable, repayable with harvested produce or low-interest credit, and that Farmers must form cooperatives o benefit,” he said.
Executive Director, Niger Foods Security Systems and Logistics Company Limited, Mrs. Patience Koku, assured farmers of the needed support to revolutionised agriculture through harnessing the state’s vast arable land in line with “New Niger Agenda.
She explained that through the initiative, farmers would receive agricultural inputs on loan, repayable with harvested produce or low-interest credit.
Koku said last dry season farming efforts faced setbacks, including farmers dishonesty, resulting in losses exceeding N300 million, hilighting that only genuine farmers would be supported.
“Despite mechanising 2,000 hectares, only fewer than 300 farmers participated, Niger Foods also incurred losses due to farmers absconding with solar pumps given to them,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry for Agriculture, Dr Matthew Ahmed, urged the farmers to go back and sensitise fellow farmers on the benefits of the agricultural initiative aimed at supporting poor and local communities.
He appealed to council chairmen in the state to take ownership of the project, urging them to work together with directors of agriculture and extension agents to identify genuine farmers.
In his remarks, the Managing Director, Niger State Agricultural and Mechanisation Development Agency (NAMDA), Alhaji Mohammed Baba, said the agency’s extension agents would work closely with farmers to guide them on best practices.
Deputy Director, Extension Services in NAMDA,Dr. Hassan Garba outlined requirements for farmers to benefit from the dry season intervention.
She said to participate, farmers must have nearby water access, gives their full names, gender, date of birth, phone number, identification card, farm size and GPS.
In his remarks, Chairman of Gurara, Abdul-Alim Bonu, represented by the secretary, pledged to mobilise genuine farmers from the council to key into the initiative.
Meanwhile, participants at the town hall meeting across the three zones were farmers from various associations and cooperatives, traditional and religious leaders, council chairmen, among others.