By Chinyere Anyanwu
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, at the weekend, revealed that the state government has plans to roll out fertiliser at subsidised rates to farmers in the state.
Governor Yusuf made this known during the 2023 seed and inputs fair organised for beneficiaries of the Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project (KSADP) by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) aimed at linking farmers directly to seedlings and inputs in the state.
The governor who was represented by the Principal Private Secretary, Dr. Faruq Kurawa, further promised that the fertilisers will be given out to the farmers in good time in order to meet up with the rainy season.
He said his administration would leverage available opportunities in the agricultural sector to lift millions of people in the state out of poverty as well as ensure food security.
The governor said providing the farmers with improved seedlings and farm inputs is the way to go to ensure full utilisation of the potential in the agriculture sector.
According to him Yusuf noted that, “because a greater number of the human and livestock populace of Kano State live in rural areas, and depend on agriculture for a living, their pathway out of poverty is tied to what happens to agriculture. By making agriculture a big wealth-creating sector, we will unleash new economic opportunities that will lift millions of people out of poverty. And this all begins with access to the right seed and quality inputs.”
The governor, however, commended the organisers of the fair for the intervention which is aimed at exposing the farmers to varieties of seeds and other agro-inputs as well as technical support.
Earlier, the Country Representative of ICRISAT, Dr. Angarawai Ignatius, said the event was organised to unveil the potential and opportunities available in the seed systems and sub-sector of agriculture in the state.
“This is to link the targeted or beneficiaries of the Kano State Agro Pastoral Development project anchored by Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and Kano Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (KNARDA) with technical support from ICRISAT to “the one-stop-shop farmer hub model” developed by Syngenia Foundation, another strong partner.
It is also aimed at a comprehensive and integrated approach to providing various agricultural services and support to farmers or stakeholders in a centralised location or platform.
“For this to happen, the first step is that farmers need to be sensitised on the need for them to change from the use of their traditional seeds and access quality improved seeds of market preferred varieties of crops, and change from their traditional production practices and embrace research-based scientifically proven production techniques capable of improving and increasing yields, particularly in this era of climate change. These are what this very platform presents to the tireless and ever-energetic farmers of Kano State and beyond,” Dr. Ignatius said.
On her part, the Acting Managing Director, KNARDA, Hajia Aisha Abdullahi Garko, described the fair as apt as the rainy season is fast approaching.