The Kano State Government says farmers-herders clashes have reduced to the barest minimum following the demarcation of 1,270 kilometres of cattle routes across the state.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Danjuma Mahmoud, stated this while briefing newsmen on the ministry’s achievements in the last three years on Tuesday in Kano.
Mahmoud attributed the development to the government’s intervention in addressing the longstanding conflicts between farmers and herders through the provision of clearly demarcated cattle routes.
He said the initiative was part of efforts to address the persistent conflict between farmers and herders, protect farmlands and promote peaceful coexistence between farming and pastoral communities.
According to him, the ministry has made significant progress in tackling the challenge through its agricultural development programmes and collaboration with development partners.
The commissioner said the government had also established a farmers’ database to provide reliable information for planning, budgeting and effective distribution of agricultural support.
He said the ministry had rehabilitated irrigation infrastructure, recovering more than 1,200 acres of farmland for cultivation, while an additional 200 acres were recovered through collaboration with the Federal Government and the African Development Bank.
Mahmoud said the government was also developing a major irrigation project at Donsushia, with a dam designed to hold about three billion cubic litres of water and provide irrigation for 500 hectares of farmland.
He added that the 14-kilometre access road to the project site had been completed, while construction of the dam was about 40 per cent completed.
The commissioner said the government had also secured approval for 11 mini-dams and irrigation projects across 11 local government areas, which would provide additional 2,000 acres of irrigable farmland when completed.
He said the ministry had also supported farmers with improved seeds, fertilisers and modern agricultural equipment, including tractors, harvesters, planters, threshers and solar-powered irrigation pumps.
Mahmoud said the state government, in collaboration with local governments, had procured nearly 700 trucks of fertiliser for distribution to farmers over the last three years.
He added that the ministry had trained more than 2,000 extension workers to improve agricultural advisory services and support farmers with modern farming techniques.
The commissioner further disclosed that the government had completed more than 70 milk collection centres to improve milk handling and storage among pastoral communities.
He said the centres were equipped with storage facilities and solar-powered cooling systems to ensure hygienic preservation of milk.
Mahmoud said the government had also upgraded several cattle markets, providing veterinary clinics, water facilities, drainage systems, solar lighting and loading facilities to improve livestock trading.
He added that about 72 kilometres of rural roads had been constructed in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank to facilitate the transportation of farm produce to markets and aggregation centres.
The commissioner said more than 300 projects executed by the ministry were ready for commissioning.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding irrigation facilities, improving livestock production and strengthening food security in the state.
