Zamfara targets 6,450 tonnes of rice, sorghum in Fadama III dry season farming


The Zamfara Government is targeting the production of 6,450 tonnes of rice and sorghum in the 2017 dry season farming, under the Fadama III project in the state.
The state Fadama III Project Coordinator, Alhaji Aliyu Shinkafi, made this known in Gusau on Thursday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
1,290 farmers from three local government areas of Bakura, Maradun and Talata-Mafara were registered under the Fadama III project for the 2017 dry season farming.
Each of the registered farmers would be supported with a 50-per-cent subsidy on all the inputs that are required for the farming activities.
Shinkafi said that each registered farmer was expected to produce five tonnes of either rice or sorghum, adding that the registered 1,290 farmers would, therefore, produce 6,450 tonnes.
“You know each farmer was given six bags of fertiliser, 75 kg of seeds and six litres of agrochemicals, only to pay 50 per cent of the total cost of the inputs.
“The government will pay the remaining 50 per cent in order to support them.
“We provided high-breed seeds, good fertilisers and standard agrochemicals for the farmers in order to boost their production.
“We also trained them in modern farming techniques, while our monitoring teams will also continue to supervise them up to the end of the programme so as to enhance their productivity.
“We are also educating the farmers on the saving culture and the value chain of the commodities to be produced, as part of the Federal Government’s policy on attaining self-sufficiency in food production in the country.

“We also have a similar plan for the upcoming wet season; this will cover all the 14 local government areas of the state and we are targeting over 3,000 farmers,’’ he said.

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