Wheat |
The local governments selected for the pilot projects are Misau, Shira and Ganjuwa.
Managing Director
of Madaki Agro Services, a private company engaged in agricultural
development activities, Mr. Akubo Adegbe, disclosed the plan to increase
wheat production in Bauchi State at the launch of this year's wheat
farming season held at Zindi village in Misau LGA.
He said the company planned to help farmers cultivate 1,965 hectares of land in the three LGAs.
Mr Adegbe said the
pilot projects would engage 1,116 farmers with an expected minimum yield
of four metric tons per hectare which, he added, would give a combined
production of 8,000 metric tonnes of wheat at the end of the season.
"So everywhere in
Bauchi State where we have flat plains, we can drill wash boreholes to
plant wheat, but it also depends on the communities' willingness and
ability to work with us," he said.
According to him,
Madaki Agro Services is working with its partners, the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), and Nigeria Incentive Base-risk Sharing System for
Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) as its subsidiary and Stanbic IBTC Bank
through which funds were disbursed.
"Lands have been
prepared, boreholes dug and seeds provided by the Wheat Farmers
Association of Nigeria, as farmers commence crop planting from December 1
- 10 this season," he added.
Also speaking, a
NIRSAL official, Malam Usman Yahaya, said the agency organised the
farmers, aggregated them, made them into single entity; registered them
and offered them money for farming activities, as well as linked them
with up-takers who would buy the produce.
Launching the
scheme, the Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman (mni), represented by
the Sarkin Sudan of Misau, Alhaji Bala expressed gratitude for the dry
season wheat farming in Misau, and assured that the farmers would
cooperate to ensure the success of the programme.
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