Jigawa Govt, German Corporation to train 574 youths on herbicide spraying

NAN-H-9
Training
By Muhammad Bashiri
Dutse, Nov. 5, 2016 (NAN) The Jigawa Government in collaboration with German Corporation, Competitive African Rice Investment (Gilz-CARI), has concluded arrangements to train 574 youths on herbicide spray.

 The Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Development and Inclusion, Alhaji Hamza Muhammad, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Saturday.

Muhammad said the youths after the training would each be given protective clothes and would be engaged in spraying cluster farming initiative aimed at producing sesame, rice, groundnut and soybeans.

The special assistant said the youths would be trained on how and when to spray herbicide on particular crop and the quantity to spray as well.

“You know, spraying herbicide depends on crops type, so that the youths will be trained on how to spray it on rice, wheat, soyabeans, maize, watermelon groundnut, among others.

“They will also be trained to do so without causing harm to the crops by under or over-spraying the herbicide.

“And they will also be given protective clothes to wear whenever they will carry out such exercise in order to protect themselves from any harm from the herbicide,” he explained.

Muhammad recalled that 50 hectares each in the 287 wards of the state were given to youths to cultivate the four major crops.

He noted that the farmers were trained on modern ways of agricultural development practices through crops value change.

According to him, the state has through a loan, assisted the farmers’ right from farm preparations up to the time of harvesting.

Muhammad pointed out that the government did not give the farmers cash, but provided them with all the needed farm inputs where they would pay back after they must have harvested and sold the produces.

The beneficiaries, he added, had filled and signed an agreement form with the government containing what each and every farmer collected from the government.

He said the farmers were expected to produce four tonnes against the normal two tonnes per hectare using modern knowledge and equipment.

The special assistant also said that added that dedicated extension workers were attached to each of cluster of the groups.

Muhammad further told NAN the gesture would encourage more people including youths to engage in farming.

According to him, it will also address the issue of unemployment as well as restiveness among youths in the area by providing job opportunities for them.

He, therefore, urged the youths to take advantage of the state government’s commitment to develop agricultural activities by engaging in both dry season farming.

“The present administration under Gov. Muhammad Badaru has pledged to develop agricultural activities by making it attractive to both youths and women in the state.

“So, the youths should try as much as they can to see that they benefit from this important initiative by the state government,” he advised. (NAN)
MNB/OFN
Edited by Felix Nwadioha