Date
By Nabilu Balarabe
Hadejia (Jigawa), Dec 20, 2018 (NAN) Jigawa Government on Thursday said it planned to transform the low scale date farming in the state to a commercial venture.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Zubairu Suleiman disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia.
He said the move was in line with the ministry policy of promoting agribusiness to create wealth and job opportunities.
The Spokesman said: “Our objective is to promote large scale farming of date for both local consumption and export. One of the efforts made in achieving this feat is the recent inauguration of a committee by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Kabiru Ali.“
He said the committee was charged with the responsibility of advising the state on how best to enhance date farming.
“Part of the mandate of the committee, chaired by Alhaji Gambo Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry is to oversee the established Date Palm Tissue Culture Centre in Kazaure.The centre will assist us in massive production of date seedlings to be distributed to farmers within a reasonable time.”
The spokesman noted that the state was endowed with date trees especially in areas, including Kirikasamma, Dutse and Hadejia.
NAN reports that the state, a fortnight ago, sent a delegation, led by the Emir of Dutse, DrNuhu Sanusi to Morocco to study propagation of date tree nurseries.(NAN)NB/ DUA
Edited by Dada Ahmed