Association Records Success on Incremental Agricultural Production
The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP)/Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Nigeria, has said that the efforts of the Kano state government to actualize agricultural potential and self-sustainability in food security is rapidly yielding desired results.
Speaking at the media field, the Project Coordinator, KSADP/SAA, Abdulrasheed Hamisu Kofar-Mata, of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) funded agricultural intervention, highlighted that with success stories emanating from beneficiaries in various values chain, Kano is waxing strong in crops production and improved agro-business development.
However, Abdulrasheed who gave an account of the implementation of the agricultural extension at the end of the KSADP/SAA media field said the intervention in the last two years has successfully engaged about 270,000 beneficiaries out of 450,000 targeted across the 44 local government areas of the state.
According to the project coordinator, 114,719 farmers were trained on agronomic practices and fully reached with interventions to improve their production.
Parts of the technicalities impacted include planting patterns focused on commodity value chains, fertilizer application, and transplanting spacing among other techniques.
Specifically, Abdulrasheed expressed satisfaction that the record of achievement indicated incremental grains of 839,778 metric tons, representing 99 percent out of the total target of 850 metric tons.
He explained that KSADP and the technical partner SAA Nigeria, are working in collaboration with IITA and ICRISAT and eight partner seed companies to strengthen seed multiplication for farmers.
He noted the injection of 12 metric tons of foundation seeds, eight metric tons of breeder seeds and 1000 metric tons of certified seeds of high quality deployed to ensure diffusion across designated production areas.
A total of 588 contract sprayers were trained and empowered with the starter kits and personal protection. Evidence of their operation can be felt across our farming location.
Besides that, we had a mass investment in technology both on pre-harvest and post-harvest operations, this includes value additions and market linkage.
We provided 140 improved seed planters, 97 rice transplanting machines, 244 water pumps, 15 rice mills destoners, 190 parboiling equipments, 15 maize shelters, 15 Hammer mills, 11 power tillers, 201 fertilizer applicators, 5000 returnable plastic crates for tomatoes farmers, 94 kiosks and starter packs for agro input stockist, 3 modern onion storage facilities, 440 income generation support equipment to women across 44 local government areas.
Meanwhile, the State Coordinator of KSADP, Malam Ibrahim Garba had explained that the US$90 million intervention covers agricultural and infrastructure development in Kano.
Garba stressed that the state agricultural extension agency handles other components, beyond the crops and vegetable component of the project being anchored by KSADP/SAA.
Agro Nigeria
