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Katsina to boost tomatoes production hem: rushl'u A. Ibrahim & Mulht .. uIlAll.i.l.atn; IIOW " tho.. J.allin. ,Jb.lr goy cmm~1 cUDtn1mling to the drYdoptnC'rts of agricullurt in the state' I\fa,onty 0 f.trr'Ilt:r5,
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Alhaji Musa Adamu is the Katsina State's Commissioner for Agriculture. In this interview with Daily Trust, he speaks on Somghai farming, why Katsina tops in cotton production and agricultural activities inthe state. Excerpts:
our peork .In-
the f'IIllR COlton that is hemg used in thcCOUlltry. Oul 0( about 34 local Y"-ernmml areas of the state, 23 are COltOfl producers. Cotton business hemg a cash
ha,,.. thC' land ~
h ...~ the 'ttt UJ scs.lherefo~whal \o:r arc :I. Ie!" n. w is the tech nJcal support Wr a1..o thank God th.I
now busiMSS IlffiIs gu~rnment 5upport and that is why 1M Shema-
Agrkuh.!rc ·s'·!KQ(thtprioriUcs
d the st,mu S ,crna-Itd Idminis
t·<lLon .,id lilt' .talc govnnntrtlll~
(1'Mida OS I ~. Wily or .IIcVlat I tg po'I' 1)' ,1I1>OOS 1M rrort! So , hm '" talk .,bnUI AlfTkuhnral j, ~iJl;l"ntrt:m fraJh-, y.! a n .a~ we arc IMI\h i -18 !he- I ~ 01 ~ COmm(ln Ulan
<mar'101 I«~~
a1J n arc doing ~C' 'ft$ I n 11lIp,,,"in!' It livt5ofthel.:urn· I W" ""'II tl 'to ugh l(tI'icullur.illv. ~.() gmt 1111 ti ll III up and d"IIIS i' br u Iml n l'il18 agricuitul . in f,;,auina 'Lalt b concerned. WluJ a.rl'J f'f agricultun Is the Shl:ma-Icd !,'VC'mmcnl paying ..ltmlio Ito' M~ltf Ifuur pcopIe are par hdpatirg if fmcra1 agricultlJfC, oorne 01 th-·m (ur consumption Md5Ofl't oilers do it forcommer d:II J1UfllOSl.$. So wl)en ~e 11I1·e it J:CIleraJI t, l]-e :J(llky o(CtOVt"nlor ~hcma ..o ay- culture 15 basl("Jly un mod<:ru \J:;riculture. Recttll1)', gmemmmi srt aside 3.375 11«lam olhnd In JOnle Ioc::al governmen! areas lOr the Songha! program in the: tate. And acommllt« has beet> sci up to select alleast 15 IUmm: (rofn!aCh olthcsckc:tcd loa! gfJl'rJmnmts as brncfKiar· ieso(th.. ge.ture. Additionall,-, lhe: gm'ttlUllC1ll h.:ul sold a number of 'rKtOt1 to III men at 50 percelll ~ub5idy to t>e paid in 4 yt'll'S- The l,e:ndjC' vlU "nly needed to pay 10 pen rnt inlial deposll. GovffllffleJ't la, hudgeted NI bUlion :his yn (ar a ,ricultural aaiVities n Ihc$llle. Can fO\ Jie:d Ughl OJ) the recmt SoP{;hlli rarm agrummt bnWftf\ KatJina stale government and theSonghal firm! fbt :~".mtisaUabout l..-ehnoIogy n the area or agriculture. You knuw lhf world is OOWjJfaCliang n-eduDlU'd fanning system and IKhnolOi:r is now being borrowed IYQfUIJklc.. So Ihe (ollling ofSong'w f Inlingto Kats!na state IS limple.. Because of the modern day tedmolog, there arc COUIIIr~ th:J1 ruV! gone flu in terms
of pnx'udng modm\ SC"edJ1ng.s. mamll"les 1-.)1' modem imgotlion KtnitH'1and ;oonSowedK'ded 10 10\'11, "l~-u
and f'ngage Inf'm
ledadnunistraoon ispa)'lngallm tiOn 10 iL Go\.'emment is dotng its brsl in providing rmiliun and OlhtrrarilltJc5 toCOIIOfl fanners in m effort 10 boost colton production in the ~tal('. and pMpk are willing 10 Imbt in cc~lon fanning. Somf' of our rannen are .securing loans rrom the banks to c ultivute unIon In KatsllUl slale. Rccently, Katslna stale gO'Vemlllent had ,tood as grantor to .securf' Nibil. lion loan rrom the Cenlral Bank lOr its rannen. The loan whtn materialized wiU boost filnning actiVities in the stille b«:awe mimy ~ wiJ] boost in their productIOnS. ~mml on its part Is partrttring with the fedcraJ goyocmmcnt on how to improYecottOl1 production and proctWng 111 Katsma stale. Last month. a FtdcraI GoYcnllTlCllt conunittee: on colton production visited Ka1sIna state with in~t to impru'Io'e the production oJ Colton m",,_
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ALH Musa Adamu Funtua, Commissioner for AgrICulture KatSlna state In agrkulluro activillcslO ttw we visited Katstna State In rt'Spf"CI of can impm'if' our offamung in Colton production. The commitIhf' stalt' and that is why we Invtltd tee. which is .k"I'Vtrl$ as a driving Songhal 10 KalJina. Presf'nl1y gov. kKu for COlton production in the ernmml has $d up committees in counuy has nued Katsirul high in Ihf' three Smalorial zonesofDaura. cooon production. Membm 0( KaLSina and Funlua. In Datta we thecommiUee:who wmtround the arc gomg 10 utilize the Sabke: Dam; stlUl' partkularlYCOltOl1 cullivation in Funlua, Mairuwa lnigalion areas ha\'e Silid based o n the pres-pm,ttd and in Katsina WIle WI' are cntntion of West African CotlOn going 10 utilize the Zobf' Dam as Company (WACOn, Ka15lna Is CIlIr pilot ~1C5. But the aim and producing more than two-third of obf«tM!:s of tile project Is torquip CIlIr f;umers with mockm fanning
"'''y
Gowmmmt has this ~ proaued 40, OOO!lYlric IORIo(assorted rmilizm: al the a)5I of N-t billion and the c.c:-mor Ihrahlm Shenla
""""" Iowxhod ""klal "'"governof "" ccmmodiJ:y in Danja ment area r:L the state. Farmers are buyingthemrrumml tyat!hecosto( N 1,700 per bag. chaptT than what the fakrnI ~menlls sdllng 10
farmers.. So, go'o~mmtlS dou18aD thtsc 10 c:asc the tanners· job and at the samf' umc im~ yidd.s. \"''llh cnleria put in pIaa- for the sales of the commodity. lhe fCTtillur Win definitd)'gtt 1Otht: tarsc'td f.lrntrrs. Danja and Malumrashi local ~ml amas arc kno~TI (or
lomalo pmduction. "'halls gol'trnmml doing to usist tomato fanners in thf'statd \\1lC11 you aCCe55 the polk}' of the Sooglw farollng. t~ is whal ~ caU the small pft)l;e5S. ing indu.o;trif's, whrrf' peopIf' will benefit from; lhest- mtire pack3!,'t$ will contain small Maif' in..lustritS In which we an: going 10 IISC 10 asslSI these Iunds of f.Jnncrs. Katsina furmen ar~ cOfnm iUcd to thelr,job and abo wl111118 10 1I1\-c:st more in their busil1f'55f'S and OIl tht other hand. m;uhu in Nigct1a an: dimmsional 11w is why the present admmlJtnlllOl1 m Kauma Slate introduced the Songhai ~
age. Gm"Cl11mcnt dcodcd 10 implement the Sangha! pad:a~ mgr by stage. TIle fint sta8f' is 10 acquire enough land Sccondl)". the 1'I";IIf'r and the third islile new seedlings and the mcchan1zaoon. RighI now we have aboullhree stageI on ground. From incepUon 10 date. we ha~ RJCcctded In eslablistllng 27 irrigation sites. Pre5endy, gov.
ernment has provided 00f' modem gmer.wng set worth over N27 million 10 each of the three UlOf'5
fin"" """"'" o f _ """.
tion farming becaustwe ha~ reaI !.ted thal thc capacity ofthc SIlUtktuno thaI we ha\'e are not scrvh18 the communities adtqualdy_
Itchnoklgyputiculartyour farmers in the rura] areas., !hat the local
(armers can lmpnm their Wming skills. Wdm'ese1aside IS,OOOhcc· laRS acro55 the Slate forthc pro;crt How mudt Is the stal~ BOurn-
IDf'nl inn:Sliog in thf' Sooghal
fanningpro;ectf It is based on what ~ need bul the Slate government has the: Inten sion 10 ~pcnd 1M'!" N I billion for the pilot scheme. simply to boost agri. rulwra1 tttiVltks in the $We. Wha l is Katslna S IIIt' ~-em m e nl doing 10 im pnn-c the prod uctionof m Uon in tM ltaIe? Rtcf'IIdy a Fcdcn.l GavcmIJJCIlt committee for the tnnsforma Oon of the agriculturalSC'Clor had
Zamfara produces over 60,000 tons of rice through irrigation ffOClC ibUJi A. Muhmllnad, Soblo RICE c ullin lion in dry season al Saknloro Irrigalion proje<1 of Talata Mabu local SO'·f'rnmenl in Zamfill'l "".I~ Is upt"Ctf'd to prodtke 6(.,t!OQ 10M thlssuson, ProJe...1 Mlllagf'r. Muhammad lawaI Milidoki disclosed this while (omml'nUng on tbe iFlgatton ('];m:I·e. Ht Sllld lrus is apnt froill uther
crops producf'd in the arca such as sweet potatoes, maitt. cowpn. cassava. vegetables. onions and sugatcanf'. adding. fanners Wf'fe mobiliud 10 come out In timf' and plilnt suitabk crops such as Wml. Maize, Cowpf'a. SWfft PotatOf'$, Groundnut. Vf'gf'tables and Rief' Crom November 10 MlIrcb.1lIld replant rIc~u 1K0nd cmp illllncdiattly tM first crop is h3rvr.;lm
1If' said ric~ hIlS been one of the most predominant crops culIlvatcd in TaJala Ma(al1ll from lat~ 70s.. adding, Ihf' 20 11/2012 rice cultivalJon in 6akolori came with a dJffermcf' afler combine f'ffom oflhf' stUdtoldcn which indudt the FedenJ Mlnlslry of Water Resources, the flrmel"$, 7..amfal1il Sllltt and Ihf' C!%f'Culing ilgf'nC)'. SRRBDA. "This jobll effun resulted in
Nrly harvest or thf' cmps and determination locropl~n before IhI' md of the raining season, using suppkmf'ntary lrrigatkm. The Ibkolori Irrtgatlon projf'Ct "'-as designf'd for 3O.000lla, out of wbkh23.000Hal'l-asdcvf'lopedu rlJ$l. phase; he said Hf' added Ihat 8,(JOOHii sur(ICf' art'lUl!Sp«ially tail f'nds suffered dilapidation OVf'r die rean but ~d f'((orts are being made to put
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moreartUbadloservlCf'lnordcr to mf"ttlhf'chaJlf'ngesof rice prodUClion in thf'counlry ~1aidoki gjd the Sakoiori Iro galion pro,fCCI cut Kross thref' Local Go..-ernfTlCnt of Zamfan Stalf'TaJata Ma(an. Mandun and Bakul1ll kxaJ governmmts With a population of O1if'r600,OOO inhabilant.s. O~r 48.000 farmf'D I'I-erc involvf'd in thi, yf'ar'. dry 5Cilson _opf'fauons, he addtti
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