Nasarawa partners Moana, LBRBDA on rice production

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule has again reiterated his administration determination to ensure that the agricultural potentials of the state are fully harnessed for the overall benefit of the people.

This is just the governor flagged off sales of 1, 035 metric tons of fertilizers for the 2022 cropping season at the subsidized rate of N10, 000 per bag, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maina Rice Company to train farmers in rice processing and marketing, amongst others in the state.

Also, in a bid to turn around the agricultural sector, the state government entered into an agreement with the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority (LBRBDA) to access 500 hectares of land in Doma Local Government Area for the production of rice in the state.

Governor Sule, in a ceremony performed at the Government House in Lafia Tuesday, said, the essence was to ensure massive food production, food security and enhance effective transformation of the agricultural sector for value chain addition.

“This is intended to provide employment opportunity for our teeming youth, as well as cushioning the post-COVID-19 hardship, as well as open vistas of opportunities and wealth creation through agriculture,” he stated.

According to him, his administration will take deliberate steps, as well as evolve means of improving Internal Revenue Generation of the state, and this cannot be achieved without a viable agricultural sector.

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He assured that, within this year’s farming season, he will execute projects aimed at improving agricultural development, by evolving critical strategy to bring about stable agro-economic society.

“This will be achieved through mechanised agriculture, as well as agro-allied industries, despite challenges such as banditry, farmer/herder conflicts and inadequate resources confronting the the state.

“This also explain why the state government recently organised the Nasarawa Investment Summit, in order to open up opportunities for the exploration of the abundant mineral resources, especially in the agricultural sector,” he said.

He added, as part of the commitment o to revolutionise agriculture, the state government has keyed into the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), saddled with the responsibility for the construction of rural roads that will enable our teeming farmers to transport their products to the markets.

Governor Sule, therefore charged the beneficiaries to ensure judicious use of the commodity to increase their yields, and warned those handling the fertilizer sales against any anomaly in the distribution of the fertilizer in their respective domain.

“Coordinators at various levels are to ensure remittance of sales to the designated bank account as any misappropriation will be meted with appropriate sanction,” he said.

State Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, Nuhu Oshafu, commended Governor Sule for Initiating the agricultural policy aimed at enhancing the productivity of farmers, as well as sustaining food production in the state.

Oshafu disclosed that, in the last three years, his Ministry has implemented farmers’ friendly policies, including regular provision of critical farm input such as fertilizer and agrochemicals to farmers.

In a goodwill message, Emir of Lafia and Chairman, Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, HRH Justice Sidi Bage (rtd), appreciated the Governor for embarking on a policy that will ensure food security in the state, as well as the country at large.