Emir of Daura lauds FG’s agricultural initiative

Agriculture
By Auwalu Yusuf
Daura (Katsina State),  July 9, 2018 (NAN) The Emir of  Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk, on Monday commended  the Federal Government’s initiative on agriculture and job creation.

The monarch gave  the commendation when  officials of the state chapter of the Rice Farmers  Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) paid him a courtesy visit in Daura.

He described the mass production of rice under the Anchor Borrowers Scheme as one of the best policies of the government toward promotion of food security and economic sustainability.

The traditional ruler  called on the officials to expand the scope of their activities to cover the rural areas, especially the remote towns and villages.

Farouk also noted that the locally-produced rice was more delicious, hygienic and affordable, adding  “we would encourage our districts as well as  village and ward heads to key into the programme by involving their subjects.’’

Earlier, Alhaji Shuaibu Wakili, the State Chairman of RIFAN, said that the scheme  had transformed thousands of farmers into millionaires while boosting food security and employment.

He said that the officials were at the palace to  formally introduce   the activities of the association in the emirate  as well as present to the emir the sample of the rice being locally-produced under the programme.

Wakili said that several indigenous  rice processing mills had been established to promote production and  processing  of   local rice.

“The programme is capable of earning the nation billions  of dollars as revenue  as it has also promoted export and discouraged  import of the commodity.

“We would, by next week, commence the distribution of the farming inputs to the registered farmers for the current wet season farming,” he said.

The association’s  chairman, however,  warned rice farmers in the area against  diversion of agricultural inputs supplied to them as loan which would be repaid in 40 bags of paddy rice per hectare.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the association had registered 75,000 rice farmers in Katsina State for the wet season rice production programme. (NAN)
BKD/FLP/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)