Niger state to produce 53,109 tonnes of rice, 18,348 tonnes of beans in 2017

Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger state says the state will produce 53,109 tonnes of rice and 18,348 tonnes of soya beans this year.

He said this in Minna on Monday during the distribution of 100 motorcycles to agricultural extension workers under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Programme.

Bello said that the state was committed to transforming the state’s agricultural sector so as to create employment opportunities and food for the citizens.

“Encouraging farmers to go into increased rice and soya beans production will boost agricultural production in the state.

“The CBN`s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme has given farmers a true sense of belonging, while restoring their confidence in government policies,’’ he said.

The governor said that the distributed motorcycles would enable the agricultural extension workers to have access to remote areas in their efforts to mobilise and educate farmers on modern methods of agriculture.

Bello said that the extension workers would also be able to reach more remote communities to educate the farmers, boost their capacity and increase food production.

Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed, Chairman of the Anchor Borrower’s Programme in the state, disclosed that more than 34,000 farmers were registered under the scheme in 2016.

He, however, said that only 15,000, out of the 34,000 registered farmers, had been cleared for participation in the scheme by the apex bank.

He said that 318 trained extension workers were engaged to mobilise farmers to participate in the scheme in all the local government areas of the state.

Ahmed attributed the increase in agricultural production in 2016 to the hard work of the extension workers and the officers of farmers’ cooperative societies.