By Bukola Adewumi
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has distributed 500 water pumping machines to 100 farmers in Katsina State to boost irrigation farming.
Its Executive Secretary, Mr Paul Ikonne, said in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja that the machines were distributed when NALDA visited an integrated farm at Suduje-Daura Local Government Area of the state.
He did not state when the distribution was conducted, however
.
Ikonne stated that beneficiaries were warned not to sell the machines as they were for their benefit and that of their community.
One of the beneficiaries a retired teacher turned farmer, Abashe Daura said the pumping machines would go a long way to improve and expand his farm.
“I demarcated some part of my farm land for irrigation purposes; this machine will contribute a lot to the improvement of my irrigation farming,’’ he said.
A vegetables farmer, Mrs Murja Ahmed, said she was overwhelmed by the gesture as it would go a long way in boosting her income.
“By God’s grace, with the aid of this machine I will be more committed and put in more efforts into dry season farming,’’ she said.
NALDA also visited Gombe State where farmers began the first dry season wheat harvest in Nafada Local Government Area.
The wheat farm which was cultivated in December 2021 by 100 women and youth from the community at a ratio of one hectare to a person, sits on a 100 hectares land.
NALDA provided the beneficiaries with two brand new tractors, agro-chemicals, fertilisers, irrigation pump, improved hand tools, land clearing and technical guidance.
Ikonne was represented at the harvest by NALDA’s Director of Engineering, Mr Olusegun Owolabi, who said NALDA would get prospective buyers (processing companies) as off takers for the wheat.
Owolabi commended the Gombe State Commissioner for Agriculture, the local government chairman, traditional rulers and beneficiaries for giving their best in ensuring a good harvest.
“This gathering is the celebration of the outcome of a partnership between NALDA and Gombe State government late last year.
“The Authority observed that wheat is the third item in the nation’s importation list and resolved to kick start rewriting the history which led to the collaboration with some states including Gombe,’’ he said.
In his remarks, Gombe State’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Alhaji Muhammed Magaji Gettado, said the farm would go a long way to improve the livelihoods of the farmers.
Gettado noted that before the establishment of the farm, youths of the community usually migrated to Taraba and to other neighbouring towns to make earnings at this period of the year.
The commissioner called on NALDA to take the programme a step further by providing harvest machines such as threshers for the farmers to enable them to produce clean wheat.
Rukayatu Usman, a female beneficiary said the project was a blessing to the community.
From Nafada, the NALDA team moved to Kordon, Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of the state to inspect on-going construction work on its tomato modern market.
The market has 18 buildings consisting of 16 blocks of 64 shops and two blocks of stores, a water reservoir, borehole, office block and toilet facilities. (NAN)
