Governor Alia Commended For Revolutionising Agriculture

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has been praised for his efforts in revolutionizing agriculture in the state, according to Director General of the Bureau of Agricultural Development and Mechanisation, Engineer Terese Ninga.

Engineer Ninga made the commendation while speaking on the activities of the Bureau since it was repositioned for optimal productivity in 2023.

“With a background in farming, the Governor is committee to addressing the challenges faced by farmers in the region”.

She said, currently, less than 200,000 farmers have been registered across the state, with plans to profile all farmers by the end of February next year.

“The goal is to improve access to extension services for farmers, as there is currently a shortage of Agric extension officers in the state”.

Engineer Ninga further explained that as art of measures to support farmers, the Governor has approved the recruitment of additional Agric extension agents in the state.

“The aim is to hire 104 agents by the end of the current cropping season, with a focus on providing farmers with inputs and new technologies to increase agricultural yields”.

Additionally, he said efforts were also being made to combat black market activities and ensure that farm inputs reach intended beneficiaries.

According to him, the State Government has introduced subsidies to reduce the cost of fertilizers for farmers, with plans to implement dry season farming to sustain produce availability throughout the year.

“Despite challenges like delays in input distribution, the government is committed to preventing post-harvest losses and has outlined strategies to improve storage facilities in the state”.

Engineer Ninga told Journalists that his office did not inherit a single functional tractor from the immediate past administration which purchased 50 tractors and wondered if they were dashed out to friends, business associates and politicians by the previous administration.

Oyenike Oyeniyi