Katcha LG secured a 3.6 billion naira loan to empower over 2000 farmers.
The Katcha Local Government Council in Niger State has signed a 3.6 billion Naira deal with Niger Foods Limited, a prominent agricultural firm in the region, to empower approximately two thousand peasant farmers.
In an interview in Minna, the Council Chairman, Hon. Danlami Abdullahi Saku, stated that the Council would be a guarantor for these farmers, enabling them to cultivate one hectare of land each.
Each farmer will receive eight bags of fertilizer, ten liters of liquid agrochemicals, pesticides, one spraying machine, and one solar irrigation pumping machine.
Hon Saku mentioned that after a kickoff event scheduled for next week, the farmers will engage in year-round farming during both the Dry season and Rainy seasons, which will align with Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s New Niger Agenda, particularly in the agricultural sector.
He emphasized that this project, the first of its kind in Zone A and among the twenty-five local government areas of the state, aims to provide job security for the youth and reduce communal conflicts.
Additionally, Hon. Abdullahi Saku revealed that the Council has acquired approximately three thousand hectares of land, which has been leased to Niger Foods for rice cultivation for over twenty years.
According to Hon Danlami Abdullahi Saku, this initiative will enhance the local government’s revenue generation and create jobs for unemployed youth in the Katcha and its surroundings.
He also noted that the project would help reduce the migration of people from rural areas to urban centers and increase the region’s economic value.
He stated that the loan repayments will commence after harvest, will be 4 – 5 months, and will be made with farm produce instead of cash
