Sasakawa Africa Association and AGRA distributes farm inputs to 7,400 farmers in Niger state
By Our Reporter
The Sasakawa Africa Association Nigeria in partnership with AGRA, has distributed farm inputs to 7,400 farmers in Niger state to support dry season farming.
The Country Director of Sasakawa Africa Association Nigeria, Dr Godwin Atser, said in Minna on Friday that the distribution of the first phase of the farm inputs to farmers groups for dry seasons farming.
Atser who was represented by the Deputy Country Director, Dr Abdulhamid Gambo, said the items distributed included four solar pumps, 15 petrol water pumps, three parboiling pots, fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides.
He said the distribution would benefit farmers’ groups to engage in dry season farming and reduce cost of production.
“This will support 7,400 farmers across clusters in 17 local government areas to engage in irrigation farming,” he said.
He noted that the goal of the distribution was to improve farmers’ productivity through good agronomic practices, adding that farmers have already been trained on major farm operations.
“We are also supporting women farmers in rice production and processing, providing them with false bottom parboiling pots to promote hygienic parboiling practices ,” he added.
Also speaking, the Programme Officer for AGRA, Mr Godswill Aguyi, said the inputs aimed to increase farmers’ productivity and income, enables farmers to practice two seasons per year, and promoting sustainable agriculture practices.
“We are going green, and since we now have technology that can help farmers without depending on high-cost fuel, it is good for us to begin to encourage people to adopt this kind of equipment,” he said.
According to him, with the high cost of fuel, solar-based irrigation pumps is expected to provide relief to farmers and promote environmental sustainability.
In their separate remarks, Mrs Cecilia Usman from Ebosoko Women Society Group, Mokwa, and Isah Ladan, appreciated Sasakawa and AGRA for the farm inputs.
They said the inputs will help them multiply their yields, adding that the equipment came at the right time and would reduce their cost of production.
The intervention is under Agra-Niger State Consortium Project.
It is tagged “Improving Farmers Resilience and Upscaling Productivity Incomes and Livelihood in Rice, Maize, Soyabean, Cowpea, Onion value chains.
