Farmers seek prompt release of Governments' counterpart funds for Fadama III


 Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed, President of Kaduna State Fadama Farmers' Co-operatives Federation, said on Wednesday that non release of counterpart funds for Fadama III, has slowed down the project.
Muhammed said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that participating states and local governments must release their contributions to allow the project run successfully.
He noted that the successful implementation of the FADAMA III+ programme would boost food production and agriculture value chain in the country.
Muhammed also appealed to the Federal and Kaduna State Governments to provide more fertilizer and other inputs to farmers participating in the Fadama programme, to optimise production.
``More than 600 cooperative societies in the state are in the programme and each farmer gets two to four bags of assorted fertilizers, which is far below their need.``
Muhammed advised that the programme be extended to cover all the 23 local government areas of Kaduna state as against the 12 currently participating.
NAN reports that four local government areas were selected from each of the three senatorial zones of the state to cultivate Tomato and Sorghum under the Fadama programme.
The cooperatives president, however, faulted the restriction, saying that it was unnecessary, as it had affected the productivity of farmers.
``For instance farmers in Kaduna state grow maize more than any other crop, and maize is excluded from the programme.
``For the policy of government on Agriculture to succeed, farmers must be given free hands and all inputs needed to grow crops for both the wet and the dry season farming,'' Muhammed advised. 

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