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Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir flagging off 2022 farming season and fertilizer sales
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed on Saturday, launched the sale of 2022 fertilizer and inputs as well as the official commencement of the farming season.
The occasion was held at the BSADP extension office in Nabardo, Toro Local Government Area of the state with a warning on those he described as unpatriotic elements who are adulterating the commodity and selling to desperate farmers across the state.
Speaking at the occasion, Bala Mohammed said that his administration will ensure that farmers are provided with the commodities, adding that N15,000 and N20,000 will be the subsidized prices for NPK and Urea respectively as against the N25, 000 and N35, 000 in the opened market.
He directed the Bauchi State Agricultural Supply Company (BASAC) to ensure the sale of the inputs at the approved prices adding that the agricultural sector has been upgraded under his watch.
The Governor added that his administration has spent the sum of N75m on the State branch of the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) in addition to ensuring the engagement of services of Techgen Agro Consultants Limited for the development of 200,000 hecters land for mechanized farming across the State which is a N50 Billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan for Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, (AADS).
The programme has according to him, specifically targeted hundreds of thousand beneficiaries in the State as the beneficiaries who had been trained in crop production, livestock, fisheries and poultry among others.
Bala Mohammed while assuring his administration’s commitment to the development of the livestock sub-sector, said that appropriate measures will be taken to ensure the breeding of healthy livestock through the approval for the release of N44 Million for the annual livestock vaccination for the year 2022.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development, Barr Jidauna Mbami lamented the dearth of Agriculture extension officers in the state through retirement without replacement by the government.
The Commissioner of Agriculture also said that the Ministry would monitor sales of the farming inputs to ensure transparency in the process.
Jidauna Tula also used the opportunity to call for urgent recruitment of extension workers and qualified Agricultural Staff in order to address the manpower challenges.
Earlier, the State Chairman All farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Yusuf Sambo commended Governor Bala Mohammed for the attention accorded the agricultural sector in the last 3 years.
He then assured of the farmers commitment to complement the efforts towards achieving the desired objectives in the development of the sector in order to make it a revenue generation sector.
Executive Chairman of Toro LGC, Adamu Yaro Geji commended the Governor for flagging off the occasion in his LGA in addition to all the various interventions by the government in the area assuring that the people will continue to support the administration.
