NAN-H-19
Agriculture
Damaturu, Nov. 7, 2016 (NAN) A cross section of Yobe residents on Monday urged the state government to accord priority to agriculture in the 2017 budget for food security, economic empowerment and rehabilitation.
Alhaji Bulama Ali, a retired civil servant, now a farmer, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu that the state recorded low agricultural productivity in the last three years due to security challenges.
“The lack of agricultural productivity in Gujba and Gulani Local Government Areas in the last three years has created food insecurity in the state.
“Agriculture is the major preoccupation of the people; it has to be given priority attention to empower the people and guarantee food security in the state,” he said.
Musa Dagona, an irrigation farmer in Gashua, urged the government to make early preparations for irrigation farming on the Gashua, Nguru and Giedam wetlands.
“Government should make early provision of improved seeds, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides to farmers to embark on irrigation farming immediately after the rainy season,” he said.
Another farmer, Modu Fika, called on the government to make huge provision for farm inputs, storage facilities and others in next year’s budget to boost agriculture in the state.
“Government should make provision for a ready market through which the harvests will be procured by government to encourage farmers.
“This will resuscitate the state’s strategic grain reserve programme for food security,” Fika said.
Alhaji Jafar Ayuba, Secretary Gum Arabic Farmers Association, Yobe, said that the state’s next budget should provide for massive planting of Gum Arabic trees to fight desertification and encourage economic empowerment.
“The plant serves the dual purpose of combating desert encroachment with economic value.
” Yobe state has the most favourable climatic condition for the production of Gum Arabic in Nigeria, but this was neglected over the years.
“I believe it is time for the state to look inwards to exploit this opportunity for economic empowerment of the people and revenue generation for the state,” Ajuba said. (NAN)
MM/CEO/SOA
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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle