Kano State Govt. to buy wheat seed from Sudan, Saudi Arabia

The Kano State Government on Wednesday said it planned to buy wheat seeds from Sudan and Saudi Arabia to boost wheat production in the state.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that the decision to procure the seed from the two countries was aimed at providing farmers in the state with the best wheat seed for better yield.

He said “many farmers in Kano State have embraced wheat production, hence the decision by the state government to provide them with good seed.

“The state government had given the farmers soft loan last year for massive production of the commodity, including rice.”

Gamawa said farmers in the state had cultivated 10,000 hectares of wheat last year, and increased it to 30, 000 hectares this year.

“This is the reason why the state government wants to buy the best seed from the two countries to be distributed to farmers as part of renewed effort to support them, the commissioner said.

He, however, called on farmers who benefitted from the various agriculture loans given to them by both state and federal government to repay promptly to avoid any embrassment.

He added that the call became necessary to enable other farmers to enjoy the loan, as well as to enhance food production in the state and the country at large.

He said the state government planned to recruit additional extension service workers to provide farmers with necessary advices and information on modern farming techniques.

He noted that no fewer than 700 extension workers from the state underwent training at the Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.