By Tina George, Minna
Niger state government is to establish 20 demonstration plots for dry-season rice cultivation across five local government areas in Niger state.
This is in its bid to boost dry season rice farming across five local government areas of the state.
Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello disclosed this in his address at the end of the 2nd Niger Dry Season Agricultural Inputs and Agro-Equipment Fair on Sunday in Minna.
He said the activity would be in collaboration with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
According to him, AGRA would be working with 2,000 farmers in addition to the 4,500 already captured through FADAMA III Additional Financing, IFAD-VCD, and ATASP-1 among others.
He said the state government also planned to use the World Bank Assisted Project of Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria, already being implemented in three Northern states, as a catalyst for transforming various irrigation schemes in the state.
The theme of the inputs and equipment fair is, “Improved Agro Technologies for Sustainable Income Generation, Food and Nutrition Security”.
It is aimed to create awareness on the need to adopt cultivation and utilization of staple crops fortified with essential micro-nutrients for improving good health.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Zakari Haliru Jinkatoro stressed the need for farmers to embrace dry season farming which is very lucrative.
He noted that one of the policy thrust of the present administration in the state is to leverage on agriculture to create wealth and to generate employment.
