2,520 Kano, Jigawa farmers to benefit from ATASP-1

No fewer than 2,520 farmers from Kano and Jigawa states will benefit from the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme phase-one (ATASP-1). This was disclosed by the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Malam Shu’aibu Abubakar Ummah. Ummah said, “63 communities from Kano-Jigawa zone will benefit from the project. […]

No fewer than 2,520 farmers from Kano and Jigawa states will benefit from the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme phase-one (ATASP-1).

This was disclosed by the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Malam Shu’aibu Abubakar Ummah.

Ummah said, “63 communities from Kano-Jigawa zone will benefit from the project. Thirty three (33) communities were selected in Kano and 30 others in Jigawa state. Forty farmers from each of the 63 communities will receive 4kg of Sorghum improved seed free of charge to cultivate 20 hectors of land in each community.”

He added that three categories of farmer groups through their associations would receive some of the farming machines free of charge.

The categories include male, female and youth farmer groups.

He, however, said that major farmers would buy the seed and enjoy free training under the programme.

The ICRISAT Country Representative, Dr Hakeem Ajeigbe, said the project was aimed at elevating the status of local farmers in the country from subsistence to a commercially oriented farming.

Dr Ajeigbe said the project, which is being funded by the Federal government through the African Development Bank (ADB), would be implemented in four selected Staple Crops Processing Zones namely Adani-Omor (Enugu/Anambra), Bida-Badegi (Niger), Kebbi-Sokoto and Kano-Jigawa zones.

“The project has two components, Infrastructural development component and outreach component. The first component focuses on rehabilitation and construction of irrigation facilities, roads, schools, hospitals in the selected zones, while the outreach component will focus on production of Cassava, Rice and Sorghum,” he added.

He said three reputable international research institutes were involved in the implementation of the outreach component of the project, saying “The IITA will lead the cassava component, African Rice, the rice component and ICRISAT will lead the sorghum component,” he said.