The Kano State government is not taking any chances in the effort to increase production of food and other products for the benefit of residents of the state. Towards this goal, the state government has started to distil 22 dormant dams with a purpose to encourage and assist farmers during the dry season.
This was made known by the state commissioner for agriculture and natural resources, Dr. Danjuma Mahmoud on Tuesday. He said the commencement of desilting of its 22 dams was part of efforts to support dry season farming. This involves removing silt, sediment, and other deposits that have accumulated over the years in the dams.
That is not the only giant step that the state has taken in this regard. Mahmoud said the government had also commenced clearance of 1,299 hectares of cultivable land to ensure improved farming activities in the upcoming dry season.
“We have set aside 1,299 hectares of land at Dansoshiya forest to boost irrigation farming in Kano, and the country at large.
“The desilting of our dams will help us to boost agricultural productivity, enhance food security, support farmers’ livelihoods and promote sustainable water management practices.”
The administration of Governor Abba Yusuf is also planning ahead to ensure that whatever is harvested get to the market with ease. Sothe commissioner said, “After cultivating and harvesting the crops, there is also the need to use good roads to evacuate the produce to their various destinations, including the houses and markets.”
That is why, according to the commissioner, “the state government had embarked on a massive construction of rural roads to facilitate the evacuation of the farm produce after harvest.”
The commissioner explained that the state government had purchased fertiliser worth about N6.2 billion for distribution to farmers to boost agriculture production in the state.
According to him, 52 trucks of fertiliser worth N1.2 billion had already been distributed to farmers in the 44 local government areas of the state, free of charge.
He disclosed that the state government had procured 180 trucks of fertiliser worth N5 billion for distribution to the farmers at a 50 percent discounted rate.
