The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has officially launched the dry season farming initiative for the 2023/24 period, aiming to increase agricultural production and strengthen national food security.
This effort involves an irrigation project targeting an extensive area of 200,000 to 250,000 hectares of arable land, with a predicted yield of 1.25 million tons of wheat. The inauguration of this irrigation scheme took place in Gashua, Yobe state, during the weekend.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, revealed that this farming initiative is a direct response to President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a national food security emergency.
The implementation of the national irrigation farming falls under the Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP) project.
In Yobe, the focus for the dry-season farming includes the Kumadugu/Yobe and Wachakal River Basins, along with the Nguru wetlands.
Minister Kyari highlighted that various farm inputs, such as fertilizers, improved seeds, and pesticides, have been subsidized by the federal government, covering 50% of the costs.
“The distributed farm inputs, including seven bags of NPK and liquid fertilizers, two bags of improved wheat seeds, and liters of pesticide, are ready for distribution to farmers in the state,” stated Minister Kyari. The quantity of inputs received by each farmer will be determined by the size of the arable land designated for wheat cultivation.
To ensure effective implementation, the minister informed that a monitoring team has been established in each wheat-producing state.
Their responsibilities encompass evaluating the entire process, starting from land preparation to the harvest of crops in the different river basins across states.
In response to the government’s initiative, Isa Mai Unguwa, representing other farmers, expressed concern.
Despite his annual production of 3,000 bags of rice, he claimed not to have benefited from the federal and state government’s subsidized farm inputs. This highlights a potential gap in the distribution system that needs addressing to ensure fair access and support for all farmers participating in such crucial agricultural endeavors.
