The Niger State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has deployed its agric. experts to promote best practices among farmers to improve crop yields.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Matthew Ahmed, said this during a visit to Niger Foods Green House and Edozhigi Irrigation Scheme in Gbako local government area of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team also inspected the 57.3 hectares of land allocated to permanent secretaries for rice production in Kakankpagi as part of efforts to promote farming among civil servants.
The inspection was conducted in partnership with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Synergos Nigeria.
Ahmed said the exercise was to assess the current practices of farmers and provide guidance on adopting more impactful and innovative methods to improve crop yields.
“We want to ensure that our farmers are aware of the latest technologies and innovations in agriculture, and ensure they adopt best practices to improve their yields,” he said.
He said the team would also monitor the African Development Bank-funded ATASP-1 intervention, which built irrigation canals to enable farmers to grow crops three times a year.
Ahmed emphasised that the overall goal of the visit was to improve the livelihoods of farmers, increase yield production and reduce food security challenges in the country.
He assured the farmers that the state government was tackling the challenges posed by herders, adding that the government would soon establish the Ministry of Nomadic and Pastoral Affairs and the Ministry of Homeland Security.
The Coordinating AGRA Intervention in the Ministry, Malam Alhassan Umaru, said the exercise was to improve policy implementation, stakeholders’ coordination, data monitoring and evaluation of all AGRA programmes.
He said the exercise was also to assess farmers’ application of technology, their challenges, to amend policies if need be and realign strategies to ensure smooth project implementation.
The Farm Manager of Niger Foods Green House, Mrs. Caroline Aro, said the house specialised in producing high-quality vegetables such as tomatoes, belle pepper, super abenero, and seedless baby cucumbers.
She said the house had recorded significant success in vegetable production, with over a tonne of cucumber harvested within a short period.
“We planted the cucumber on Nov. 16, 2024, and we have harvested over a tonne,” she said.
Also, Alhaji Yahaya Umaru, a rice farmer, said before the ATASP-1 intervention, farmers were unable to engage in irrigation farming, but with the construction of irrigation canals, they could farm three times a year.
