Selected farmers from the 44 local government areas of Kano state have received farming equipment aimed at building their productivity, protect their crops from insect and also enhance food sufficiency in the state.
The farm inputs include 1,564 sprayers for small holders farmers, 300 units of improved planter as well as seeder with a dual role, 40 units of improved per-boiling kits.
Speaking during the distribution of the materials to the farmers, Ibrahim Garba Mohammed Kano state coordinator of the Agro-Pastoral Development Project said it is a 5-year project funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) in collaboration with the Kano State Government which aims to contribute to poverty reduction and strengthen food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations in the state.
The project coordinator in SASAKAWA Africa Association Kano Office, Abdulrashid Hamisu Kofar Mota said they are supporting the Kano State government efforts in boosting agricultural productivity as well as extension service delivery and support farmers to have access to quality inputs and technology.
“The project was given initially a target of reaching out to 450,000 direct beneficiaries, but SAAKAWA have so far 477,000 farmers across the 44 LGAs of Kano state.
These cut across regenerative agriculture, productivity enhancement, supporting farmers to have access to good agronamic practices, market orientated agriculture as well as nutrition sensitive agriculture”
One of the beneficiaries Khadijat Abdullahi, said she is happy to receive the farm inputs, ‘’I am happy and thank Almighty Allah, I thank the Kano State Government and SAAKAWA and even the Press.
This empowerment will help me because pest are much in our farms, and we need to rent and pay an experts to fumigate our farms before now, but since I now own one spraying machine today, I can now even help more than 10 people around who will just borrow it from me to enjoy this spraying machine.”
Another beneficiary, Adnan Musa Fadil, said “I thank Almighty Allah as one of the beneficiaries, I will use this sprayer for the insects in my farm. I thank KSCADC, SAAKAWA, Islamic Development Bank in Jidda and the State Government, specially His excellency, Alh. Abba Kabiru Yusuf, the Governor of Kano state”.
SAKAKAWA Africa Association is implementing the crop value chain sub-component of the project, focusing on Rice, Maize, Sorghum, Millet and vegetables, targeting 450,000 smallholder farmers plus youth and women across the 44 local government areas of Kano state.
