Institute urges Kaduna govt to expand Galma Irrigation Scheme
Institute urges Kaduna govt to expand Galma Irrigation Scheme
Wheat
By Mustapha Yauri
Zaria (Kaduna State), March 18, 2020 (NAN) The Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) has appealed to the Kaduna State Government to expand the Galma Irrigation Scheme in Zaria to its 500 hectares capacity.
Dr A.T. Binbina, the Acting Executive Director of the Institute, made the appeal at the 2020 National Wheat Farmers Field Day on Wednesday in Zaria.
Binbina, who was represented by Dr Zakari Turaki, Director of Research in the Institute, said that the Galma Irrigation Scheme has a total developed area of 100 hectares, which could be expanded to 500 hectares.
“I want to seize this opportunity to especially appeal to Kaduna state government to expand the scheme.
” I want to seize this opportunity to also solicit for more financial and moral support to Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency,” he said.
He solicited the support of the state government in the research institute plans to open a research station in the state.
The acting Executive Director said that in 2016 the state government trained a total of 4,975 youth and women on wheat production.
He also said that currently the state government in collaboration with the institute had put 78 hectares of land to cultivation under the outgrower seed scheme.
Also speaking, Mr Albert Omirin, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the institute, said farmers field day was a technology transfer forum for out-scaling proven technologies to farmers.
Omirin, who was represented by Mrs Fatima Gara, restated the commitment of the institute to the development and deployment of relevant technologies to farmers toward attaining self sufficiency in wheat production.
He said the institute in collaboration with Institute of Agricultural Research Zaria and other partners had developed 11 high yielding and heat tolerant wheat varieties with a potential of six tonnes per hectare.
In his remarks, Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna said the vision of his administration was to transform the economy of the state through strong market driven agriculture.
El-Rufai, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hajiya Halima Lawal, said agriculture had received huge investment in the state since 2015.
He added that the programme was a demonstration of the commitment of government at national and state level to achieve sustainable development goals through agricultural value chain.(NAN)
AM/AOS/MZA
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Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Maharazu Ahmed