Agency Reporter
The Chairman, Plateau State chapter of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Bitrus Joshua, has said that farmers were ready to participate in the mechanised agriculture scheme initiated by the state government.
Joshua told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Jos that the distribution of 100 tractors and inputs by the state government had mobilized participation and encouraged farmers to boost their production.
He disclosed that plans had reached an advance stage to distribute additional tractors to the farmers, adding that the gesture would propel a shift from subsistence farming to mechanized commercial agriculture.
Joshua said: “Mechanization begins in April and the state government promised to provide more tractors and other tools to aid production.
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“Farmers are now using tractors instead of hoes and other crude implements in their farms and with this very soon we might control the entire market”.
Joshua said that youth were now engaged in crop production due to the ease involved in mechanizing farming, which proved to be lucrative.
He noted that deployment of extension services and provision of soft loans facilities by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had made farming easier for farmers in the state.
The chairman called on rice consumers to be patient with farmers as proactive measures were put in place to enhance the value chain of the produce.
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