Bauchi govt to assist farmers cultivate 4, 000 hectares of rice



BAUCHI-The Bauchi State government says it will support rice farmers in the 20 local government areas of the state to cultivate at least 4, 000 hectares of land in this year's dry season.

The State Governor Mohammed Abubakar stated this yesterday while launching the 2017 Fadama III additional financing for dry season rice farming at Konkiyel village in Darazo local government where he stated that the state had cultivated 2, 500 hectares last year.

Represented by his commissioner for Agriculture and natural resources Yakubu Kirfi, the governor said Bauchi was privileged to be the only state in the north east that has the mandate of the national fadama development project to produce rice and sorghum adding that the state government has approved the payment of its counterpart contribution of N35 million annually.

'' The world bank through the National Fadama Development Project provided the sum of 200 million US dollars for the implementation of the Fadama III additional financing in some selected states, Bauchi state inclusive. The objective of the additional financing is to boost dry season farming as well as increase the income of land users on a sustainable manner''. he said

Abubakar further explained that the government has also paid the sum of N20 million counterpart fund for the national food security and livelihood emergency support under the same Fadama III project for the benefit of the Internally Displaced Persons [IDPs] that have chosen the state as their new home.

Also speaking, the minister of agriculture and rural development, Chief Audu Ogbe represented by a director in the ministry Muhammed Yusuf who said that the programme was a collaborative effort of the federal government and the world bank to scale up food production and generate employment to youths adding that special attention was given to four staple crops such as rice, sorghum, cassava and tomatoes.

" Bauchi state was identified to have a great potential for the production of two of these crops; rice and sorghum. This is why some states were considered for only one crop. Let the state therefore justify the confidence reposed in it by excelling in the production of these crops''. The minister said




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