NAN-DS-3
Donation
Maiduguri, May 22, 2017(NAN) The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Oyo State, has donated 35, 930 kilograms of seeds to Borno Government to enhance farming in liberated communities in the state.
The IITA Deputy Director-General, Dr Kenton Dashiell, presented the seeds to Gov. Kashim Shettima in Maiduguri on Monday.
Dashiell said the gesture was part of efforts to prepare ground for the return of farming activities in liberated communities in the North East.
He added that the donation was also aimed at helping the Federal Government to rebuild the North East, which had been battling insurgency since 2009.
He listed the donated seeds to include varieties of cowpea, soya bean, maize, millet, sorghum and rice.
He noted that “the seeds were adapted to the climate of the region with some being extra early, early and immediate maturing.
“The seeds are high yielding and resistant to major pests and diseases and other biotic and abiotic constraints in the region,” he said.
Dashiell said 3,000 bundles of cassava planting materials would also be presented to the state in due course.
The deputy director said the IITA was concerned about the plight of the people of the zone, who were food insecure, malnourished and required assistance to get back to normal life.
He expressed the institute’s willingness to work with the federal and state governments in the North East to transform agriculture to ensure food security and good living conditions for the people.
He said that the seeds were for planting by farmers in the upcoming cropping season in the state.
Gov. Shettima thanked the IITA for the kind gesture and promised judicious use of the items. (NAN)
ABI/MNA/HA
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Edited by Maureen Atuonwu/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu