Jigawa State government has stepped up efforts to transform agriculture through mechanisation, improved inputs, smart farming and access to credit, with a focus on boosting food production, creating jobs and reducing poverty.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muttaka Namadi, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Auwalu Ado Shehu, disclosed this when officials of the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) visited the ministry.
He said the government has adopted a ‘business unusual’ approach to agricultural development and established the Jigawa Agricultural Transformation Agency to drive the transition from subsistence to commercially-oriented farming.
According to him, the government has distributed solar-powered water pumps to farmers and is preparing to distribute additional units to support dry-season and climate-smart agriculture.
He added that the state’s rainy-season rice programme provides farmers with inputs and extension services at a 30 percent subsidy, while a partnership with the Bank of Agriculture enables farmers to access loans, with the state contributing 30 percent of the amount secured by each beneficiary.
The commissioner also disclosed that farmers purchasing solar-powered irrigation pumps, under the government’s cash-and-carry arrangement, enjoy a 30 percent discount.
He said the government was developing a database of farmers in the state to determine their number, locations and areas of agricultural activity, adding that the database will facilitate the formation of farmer clusters and the targeted delivery of government support.
Namadi described the partnership with SAA as significant to Jigawa’s agricultural transformation, noting that the sector was constantly changing and farmers needed access to modern technologies and improved production methods.
‘It is either you follow the changes or you are left behind. Which is why the state government is up and doing to transform agriculture, and we have been seeing results,’ he stated.
He said Governor Umar Namadi, had demonstrated commitment to agriculture through investments in mechanisation, including the procurement of 360 combine harvesters with implements from China and the receipt of 100 tractors under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, the Country Director of SAA-Nigeria, Dr Godwin Atser, represented by the Technical Coordinator, Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture Food System, Mr Nathaniel Otene, said the organisation had renewed its partnership with Jigawa to increase food production, strengthen agricultural extension and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.