Kano produced over 1.5m tons of rice in 2016 – Ganduje

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has revealed that farmers in Kano State have produced 1,551,720 tons of rice in 2016 as against the 692,481 tons produced in 2015.

Ganduje disclosed this at Kano Seed Processing Centre, Kadawa in Garun Malam local government area during an interactive session with farmers on loan recovery of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Agriculture and the Anchor-Borrowers Programme, Kano State.

According to the Governor, the state has recorded an increase of 95.2 tons and that might not be unconnected with the state government’s renewed interest in agriculture, as part of efforts to diversify the local economy.
 
“Wheat production in the state increased from 9,495,024 tons in 2015 to 17,717,000 tons in 2016, showing a swell of 84 percent.” he said.

While answering questions on the problems being faced by farmers in assessing the Anchor Borrowers loan in the state, the governor promised that these issues as well as that of availability of inputs would be addressed, adding that government and the banks involved, would ensure that farmers get appropriate assistance and other intervention in time.

The Governor who affirmed that the state is determined to increase its rice production to about half of the country’s rice requirement this year, stressed that his administration would concentrate more on agriculture this year to ensure multiplication of farmers output.

“Economic realities have shown that Nigeria’s future prosperity depends on investment in our farmers, to enable them become well prepared to revamp food productivity as oil money is no longer coming in as usual”, the Governor stated.