By Suleman Tudu
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara state flagged off Distribution of fatilizer, farming inputs and equipments in Fadama III Project in Gusau.
The project is part of the Nigeria Coronavirus (COVID-19) Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (N-CARES) programme targeting farmers across the 14 local government areas of the state.
A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, noted that over 700 power tillers and seeds for rice and maize will be distributed to 19,000 farmers.
According to him, Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration is determined to revamp the agricultural sector by providing adequate support to farmers.
In his speech at the flag-off ceremony, Governor Dauda Lawal reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing social interventions for less privileged and vulnerable individuals in the state.
He said “Through the Fadama III programme, 100,000 farmers will be empowered with the necessary equipment and seeds over the next four years. Coming shortly after the signing of our 2024 Rescue budget, it testifies our resolve to take the required steps towards realizing our targets in the agricultural sector, which is the most vital sector of the economy of our dear State.
“As you are aware, the COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus Programme is a multi-sectoral programme centered around three critical result areas and is designed to address specific challenges and harness opportunities on our path towards a robust post-pandemic recovery.
“Under FADAMA 3, the Result area focus is on increasing food security and ensuring the safe functioning of food supply chains for our vulnerable households.”
Furthermore, Governor Lawal said the Zamfara State government will provide essential input support and services, construct and rehabilitate access roads, and allocate assets for production and mitigating food loss and waste.
“In this third cycle, our key objective is to improve the productivity of 11,760 farmers directly by providing them with vital inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, improved seeds, and seed dressing chemicals. For the upcoming dry season, we have allocated 33,000 bags of fertilizer – comprising 22,000 bags of NPK and 11,000 bags of Urea.
“Also, over 700 power tillers and seeds for rice and maize will be distributed to 19,000 farmers. Furthermore, 735 groups of ten farmers each will be empowered with Power Tillers, and 2,550 individuals will receive small ruminant animals,” the governor added as quoted in the statement.
