Agriculture accounts for 46% of Jigawa’s GDP – Namadi

…as senator donates 12,000 bags of fertilizers to constituents

The Jigawa State Government is setting its sights on a transformative leap in agricultural productivity, targeting yields of up to 10 tons per hectare through aggressive mechanisation and irrigation-based farming.

This information was made public on Tuesday, when a delegation of Al-Yaseen Agricultural Company of Saudi Arabia, paid a courtesy call on the Government House, Dutse, where Governor Umar Namadi restated the State’s commitment to revolutionising its agricultural sector.

Welcoming the delegation, Governor Namadi said agriculture remains the backbone of Jigawa State’s economy, employing 85–90% of its people and contributing 46% to the GDP.

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“We have the land; we have all the available resources that are needed for farming in Jigawa State. And with your expertise in irrigation, I am sure if we work together, we can achieve our goals,” he said.

The governor outlined key steps the State had already taken towards mechanised farming, including irrigation expansion, improved seed distribution, agronomic training, and a growing network of over 1,700 extension workers.

“So far, so good, we are able to improve our yields in many crops, but we still have a long way to go. We have moved from the initial 2.5 tons per hectare to almost 4.5 tons per hectare. And we believe we can make it 8 or 10 tons per hectare.

“We have shallow water tables—even in desert parts of the state, water is accessible at just 70–80 meters”, the governor stated.

Similarly, Babangida Hussaini, a Senator, representing North-West Senatorial District of Jigawa State, has donated 12,000 bags of 50kg of various brands of fertiliser to his Constituency, a development said to be geared at food security through agriculture in the farming season.

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Speaking while distributing the farm inputs to the beneficiaries held at Sule-Tankarkar, the Headquarters of Sule-Tankarkar Local Government Area, the Senator said the input was provided free of charge to support farmers in enhancing their crop production during the rainy season.

According to him, “We resolved to support farmers with fertiliser because it remains one of the most critical and timely components of modern farming.

“For the polling units, we are specifically targeting members of our political party, the APC, while the additional eight trucks are for recognised farmers’ associations to further strengthen their capacity”.