The Agro Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project has commenced the distribution of farm inputs to 10,000 farmers in Kaduna State.
The Project Coordinator, Dr Yahaya-Aminu Abdulhadi, made this known during the delivery of the farm inputs to farmers’ cooperatives at Biye, Giwa Local Government on Thursday.
Abdulhadi said that the intervention is meant for 985 farmers in Biye Community & the targeted beneficiaries in the state were 10,000.
He said that the intervention farm inputs were fertilisers, improved seeds and herbicides, among others, adding that the second intervention would be mainly equipment.
He said that beneficiaries would receive thrashers, combine harvesters and tractors, adding that the support was demand-driven.
Abdulhadi said that the two phases of interventions were decided by the farmers themselves with the aim of boosting their farming enterprise & empowering them.
The project was a World Bank supported initiative with the mandate of Kaduna State Government to support the farmers from production, processing and marketing.
“We want them to make use of the knowledge and the resources that were available under the APPEALS project, so that they can shift from being subsisting farmers to commercial and economically viable farming enterprises.”
Hajia Hadiza Balarabe, Kaduna State Deputy Gov, said that the state had done a lot in improving agriculture productivity.
The deputy governor said that the state had also improved the agriculture sector toward diversifying the economic base of the state.
Balarabe was represented by Mal. Sabiu Ismaila, the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture.
She said that the state government was working tirelessly to support the development of agriculture as a business so that farmers would be able to feed themselves and supply the products for the use of industries.
“It is the wish of the state to see tremendous reduction in poverty, massive employment generation for the youths and women and general improvement in the wellbeing of the populace through the agricultural sector,” she said.
“It also shows that Kaduna State’s policies and programmes on inclusion were working. A society cannot develop if half of its population are idle and are not included.
“The efforts of the state toward bringing women to be part of economic development by enhancing their skills in various fields of endeavor is a worthy cause.
Source: https://www.nannews.ng/10000-farmers-get-farm-inputs-support-in-kaduna-state/