By Ahmad Alabira, Dutse
No fewer than 250,000 farmers are expected to participate in the 2023/2024 Federal Government National Wheat Productions programm (NWPP) across the country.
The national programme was flagged off on Saturday by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari at Kadume village in Hadejia local government area of Jigawa state.
“We have set ambitious targets to support between 150,000 to 250,000 farmers with 50% input subsidy to cultivate between 200,000 to 250,000 hectares with an expected yield of 1,250,000 tonnes of wheat”, Kyari said.
He said the program is a key activity in the implementation of federal government food security policy.
“All the registered farmers will be given free seeds while other inputs will be sold to them at 50 percent subsidy, to enhance their capabilities to implement the program.
“Under the policy we want to improve our crops yields by 20 percent this year. Equally we will gradually continue to improve our irrigation facilities to diversify crops production for achieving food security, Job creation, growth and development”, the Minister added.
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He commended Jigawa state government for the commitment it has demonstrated to it’s farmers, saying the state is key and a reliable partner in achieving the program.
He said federal government food security policy, jobs creation and poverty eradication is real.
Meanwhile, the state governor, Malam Umar Namadi applauded the federal government’s Wheat Productions and Agricultural Policy.
“The policy is an intervention and it is in tandem with my government 12 point agenda for poverty eradication Jobs creation and making Jigawa great.
“Provision of sustainable livelihood through exploiting all the agricultural potential, is an integral part of our 12 point agenda and in achieving this, we are ready to partner with any collaborator at all levels.
“The mantra of Agriculture as business has yielded good result in our state, we will gradually continue to improve our Fadama irrigation facilities to make Agriculture throughout the year in the state”, the Governor stressed.
He explained that under the Federal Government Wheat production programme, he will mobilize additional 1400 Extension Agents and support the farmers with modern techniques of farming and equally stand as their guarantors.
