Kano State, Research Institutes Hold Seed Fair
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in collaboration with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and other partners under the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) recently held a seed and input fair in Kano.
According to ICRISAT’s Country representative, Dr Hakeem Ajeibe, the seed fair was aimed at creating awareness among farmers on the availability of improved seeds and to help them access quality seeds for enhanced productivity.
He explained that other additional objectives were to provide market opportunities for the seed companies to market their seed and establish partnerships with different stakeholders along the various crop value chains.
Similarly, the State Project Coordinator (SPC) Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) Malam Ibrahim Gama revealed that the fair was designed to promote and support increased productivity.
It was also a platform to establish a good linkage between farmers, inputs providers and quality seed producers.
“The project in collaboration with its partners has done a lot in terms of improving agricultural practices along the value chain across the state’s local government areas. So far so good as indicators have shown that agricultural processes have improved and agricultural production has recorded a tremendous increase in the state,” he said.
The partners include Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR/ABU), University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM), Center for Dryland Agriculture (CDA-BUK), Kano Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (KNARDA), and Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI).
Daily Trust
