By Our Reporter
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Sabo Nanono, on Saturday in Kano, reaffirmed the federal government’s plan to establish 630 farming service centres across 634 local government areas in the country.
He also confirmed that the federal government will in no distant time install 17 rice mills in Kano, as part its determination to boost agriculture and ensure food security in the county.
During a town-hall meeting with farmers groups, associations and critical stakeholders held at Coronation Hall, Government House, on Sunday Nanono also disclosed that the entire equipment to be used in the centres will be produced locally.
According to him, the equipment for the centres will be imported, but assembled locally, adding that the assembly plant of the fabrication of the equipment is expected to provide jobs for over three million Nigerians.
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In addition, he disclosed that FADAMA project in Kano, which is currently in phase 1, would be expanded to phases two and three, so as to spread over 180 million hectares of farmland for the cultivation of rice and also provide jobs for over one million people.
When it eventually stabilises, he assured that Nigeria will rather transform from an importer of rice to exporter of the commodity, the quality of which will compare favourably with international standard.
”The service centre will organise series of seminars for local farmers, focusing on updated techniques of farming, as well as the right texture of land for rice farming and high yielding species of rice to be cultivated.”
He expressed optimism that the rice revolution in the country will ascend to the next level, to tally with the slogan of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Nanono stressed the need for farmers in the country to embrace modern agriculture, considering the over 70 million farmers, out of which only 14,000 are experts in modern agricultural techniques.
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