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| Sokoto farmers |
The farmers
in Sokoto state of Northern Nigeria have been counting their blessings in the
last two seasons harvest since the launch of Fadama 111 Additional Financing
(AF) by the Governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu
Waziri Tambuwal on May 29, 2016.
This
testimony was shared by the district head, Katami Village, Mallam Usman Garba
and chairman of Silame Local Government Federated Community Association (FCA) in
the presence of rice farmers’ production clusters consisting of ten groups of
ten people to Food Farm News during
an unscheduled visit to the place. Also interaction with other district heads
and some of the other key farmers was quite evident that the programme has made
a huge difference in the lives of the communities in terms of 40 per cent
income rise through over 20 per cent increase in harvest of major three crops
occasioned by the provision of inputs and agro chemicals cum agronomics training
given to the farmers.
Speaking
with Food Farm News in his palace, the
district head, Mallam Garba excitingly expressed that the intervention of the
programme has positively impacted on the community in terms of increased yield
in rice and incomes generation saying the farmers themselves could attest to
this.
The community
head alluded to the fact the bottom-to-top approach of the programme has given
it the huge success it achieved as the farmers were all involved in all the
planning process so as to ensure ownership and continuity.
He said: “we
are happy to have you in our midst. We have many international donors including
Fadama 111 AF which stands out based on its positive impact in the lives of my
people who are majorly farmers in rice production. These farmers are encouraged
by this programme through inputs grants that have given higher yield to their
productivity as they were involved in the planning process. Before the
intervention of Fadama 111, AF, farmers do not really have access to inputs
especially improved seeds and fertilizer and other inputs which normally give
high yield difference to crops as anyone who uses fertilizer will definitely
got more yield than those without application. Both herbicides and insecticides
are given to farmers to fight bats and grasshoppers which are great challenge
to food production in the locality. I especially commend this programme for
improving the livelihood of our people through training with best agronomics
practice using safety kits during fertilizer and agro chemical applications.”
The chairman
of the Silame Local Government Fadama Federated Community Association (FFCA),
Alhaji Mohammed A. Mohammed who described Katami fadama cluster land as one of
the best in Sokoto state with over 400 hectares of rice cultivation saying
there were seven cluster under his control thereby commended the cooperation he
enjoyed from them through involvement in planning and compliance to the rules
and regulations of the programme.
All these
were corroborated by the chairman, Katami (11) rice production cluster, Alhaji
Salihu Nafia who spoke for farmers’ groups expressed the appreciation of
members to the programme saying “the grant
assistance given by Fadama 111 AF has impacted positively on our rice incomes
whose yield from 30-35 bags now upscaled to 75-85 bags after harvest saying the
timely supply of improved seeds of rice and fertilizer, and other agro chemicals
and pumping machines with safety kit to enhance good health for productivity
was quite commendable.”
He
continued: “there is a lot of changes in our yield with the use of Faro 44
improved seeds and other agro inputs given to farmers as grant coupled with
training on the best farming practices which have really assisted us as we have
recently recorded double of what we had be getting before now from 30-35 bags of
rice now to 75-80 bags. We were also given pumps with all their accessories to
do irrigation just as our health status
have also been improved through the use of safety kits to prevent our eyes and
organ of the body that are prone to chemical attacks. ”
One of the
facilitators, Mallam Abubakar Mohammadu who also spoke with Food Farm News gave a detailed breakdown
of support given as four bags of NPK, two bags of urea, 50kg of improved rice
variety of Faro 44 along with eight litres of agro chemical given in ratio 5:3
of herbicide and insecticide to fight against pests and other insects/ bat
attack.
He said: “grants
were given in terms of inputs and assets like water pumps with all its
accessories, spray, small farm tools-hoes, cutlasses. Also Rural Infrastructure
such as tube wells, safety kits for environmental mitigation which consist of
first aid box, rain boot, rain coat, hand glove, nose mask and erection of
signpost for all the cluster groups”
This group,
said another facilitator, Ibrahim Umar that what has been going on in terms of
this programme intervention in form of support to farmers across the 23 local
governments in the state in the value chain of sorghum, rice and tomato saying
the feedback from farmers was full of commendation to Governor of the state,
World Bank officials and the Federal Government through the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development as there are report of 40 per cent income
increased.
Umar pointed
that the Additional Financing component of the Fadama 111 programme was
designed to build capacity support to farmers in line with the President
Mohammudu Buhari’s administration decision
to diversify the economy to non-oil revenue generation with frame work
to strengthen linkages between farmers, agro dealers, processors and other
relevant private players that can facilitate contract for agreed quantity and
quality outputs thereby complying to new agricultural policy of the FMARD under
Chief Audu Ogbeh.
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