NAN-AE-13
Extension workers
Lafia, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa has pledged to revive the services of agriculture extension officers to enhance farming in the state.
The governor stated this on Tuesday after visiting the headquarters of the Nasarawa State Agricultural Development Programme (NADP) in Lafia.
Al-Makura said the services of the extension officers were vital to the government’s plan to diversify the nation’s economy.
He said the revitalisation of the agricultural sector was one of the ways out of the current economic meltdown.
The governor explained that reviewing the activities of the extension workers was part of his administration’s deliberate effort to improve the agricultural sector.
“It is no longer news that Nasarawa and by extension Nigeria is blessed with abundant agricultural resources, although the produce, which hitherto was the basis of the country’s economy had been abandoned or left untapped.
“We have decided to scale down the activities of the ADP, but we will concentrate more on extension services and demonstration farms,” the governor said.
He said that apart from reviewing the activities of the extension workers, demonstration farms would be established to improve hybrid crops in some areas of the state.
“During my last visit to the ministry of agriculture, I directed them to have a demonstration farm in each of the 13 local government areas that will specialise in the production and growing of crops that are conducive in such environment.
“We can gradually specialise in those crops so that we can increase our input and support for large scale agriculture,’’ he added.
Al-Makura said that the services to be rendered by the extension officers would help farmers to improve their crop production. (NAN)
BAB/AOS/MVO
(Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Mbadiwe Okwor)