The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has commenced dry season wheat farming in Jigawa State to bridge the national deficit in wheat production.
The wheat farm which is expected to engage 300 hundred youths from the area, sits on a 100 hectares land in Marke town, Kaugama Local Government Area in the State.
While the state government provides the land, NALDA would provide input support, training of the farmers, supervise and support them all through the farming period and then off take from the farm thereby ensuring availability of market for the harvest.
The Nation learnt that inputs such as seeds, pumping machines, generators, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides have also been delivered to the selected farmers by NALDA.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Jigawa, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, said the choice of Jigawa state for the Official flag off of the dry season wheat farming is largely due to the soil texture of the state which is suitable for wheat production and the governor’s track records in agriculture.
Ikonne said the wheat production which is in nine states with 2,500 hectares of land donated by state governments, of which Jigawa State is one of them, will give 10,000 metric tons yield.
While commending the state government on the land donation Ikonne asked that the state government make available more lands for wheat production as NALDA was ready to help turn the state into a wheat production hub in the country.
“I’m glad to inform us that the state government has provided us with land, but we would still ask Your Excellency to provide us with more lands as NALDA intends to make Jigawa the Hallmark of Wheat production in Nigeria”
“The 100 hectares land donated or provided by the state government would take 300 hundred farmers which NALDA would be providing them with the seeds, pumping machines, pesticides and herbicides and the end of the day NALDA would do the off taking from them so that farmers would have value, so it is purely an out growers project that NALDA has brought to Jigawa state” he said.
Prince Ikonne who stated his commitment to working with the state on the project said when more lands are made available; the number of youths to be engaged would also expand.
He added that NALDA is following President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate to make agriculture attractive to youths in the country and encourage them to see agriculture as a way of life and means of earning money.
Responding to the NALDA Boss request for more land donation, Jigawa State Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar said the state has over 400,000 hectares of land that is good for all year round farming and that the state is ready to donate more lands to NALDA especially as the purpose is for supporting his people.
Abubakar said it has been established that Jigawa state ranks amongst top in wheat production in the country and said with NALDA’s intervention the state would become the biggest wheat producer in the country.
He stated that the effort of the state in agriculture is being complemented by the support from the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Programme and NALDA’s intervention.
He appreciated NALDA for training 270 youths in the state to be soil doctors, noting that the gesture would go a long way in boosting best agricultural practices in the state.
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