By Callistus Agwaza, Jalingo
Following the threat to food security in the state caused by insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taraba state Governor Darius Ishaku has put in place measures to ensure that farmers have a more conducive atmosphere to farm with relative ease to forestall possible food crisis in the state.
The state commissioner of information Barrister Danjuma Adamu who disclosed this at a Press briefing in Jalingo on Tuesday said that apart from deploying adequate security to warring areas so that farmers can go to their farms freely, the state government has also provided improved seedlings, farm inputs, tractors and other incentives.
Adamu said that as a mainly agrarian state that is highly endowed with tremendous natural resources, the government was determined to ensure that Taraba remains at the forefront of supplying the food need of the people and the country at large.
He noted that despite the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic that has ravaged the world, the state government has recorded remarkable development in areas of education, infrastructural development, youth employment, security, water supply, rural development checking youth restiveness, and ensuring general cohesion in the state.
“The governor started his second tenure with greater vigour commitment and clarity of purpose in fulfilment of his pledge to meet the everyday needs of the people and transform Taraba into a viable state. Taraba is an agrarian state endowed with tremendous natural resources. The climate is also ideal for all-season farming. Governor Darius Ishaku has given priority to agriculture to boost agricultural output so as to ensure good security and increase income for farmers. He has also encouraged mechanised farming through provision of tractors, farm inputs and fertilizer on regular basis to farmers at subsidized rates.
“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which has ravaged the world, Governor Ishaku took proactive measures to ensure its containment and check it’s spread to the barest minimum. Consequently, Taraba today is one of the least affected states in the country by this dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
“The state government has also ensured employment and absorbing of youths into ministries, agencies and parastatals to check youth restiveness and boost productivity. Without doubt, the governor’s pact with Tarabans is on track” Adamu said.
Adamu said that even though the state is constrained by finances and the COVID-19 pandemic, the government was doing everything possible to ensure that governance does not suffer any major setback and the people continue to ensure the dividends of democracy.
