Ahmad Alabira, Dutse
No fewer than eleven local government areas of Jigawa state have been invaded by Quelea birds attack.
Consequently, the federal government in collaboration with the Jigawa state government has commenced aerial spraying in Auyo local government area.
The Zonal Coordinator and Pest Control of the federal ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Abba Ghana made this known while speaking to reporters recently in Auyo local government area of the state.
Gana who was represented by a Director in the ministry, Abubakar Abdullah said the aim of the aerial spraying exercise was to reduce the population of quelea birds and control other trans border pest in the country.
According to him, the exercise will last for two weeks in eleven local government areas of the state that are likely to be attacked by these birds considering their proximity to Nigeria/Niger Republic borders.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to Jigawa state Governor on community and inclusion, Alhaji Hamza Mohammed Hadejia said the aerial spray was in response to the rice farmers complaints over the invasion of the quelea birds.
He however pointed out that invasion of quelea birds and flooding have been a major challenges farmers are battling with for many years.
Hamza Hadejia noted that “since the inception of the present administration, improving Agriculture remain the main concern of the federal and state governments to boost food production and economy of the country”.
He said both federal and state governments have taken measures to curtail or reduced some of the major challenges being experienced by the farmers annually including pest control, spraying of quelea birds and desealting of water ways under TRIMMING project along rivers Hadejia and Jama’re.
Indeed, local rice farmers at Gatafa village in Auyo Local government area of Jigawa state said the invasion of quelea birds has been a major challenge threatening rice production in the state.
