Katsina spends over N25b on agric in 6 years

Funtua said a lot is being done by the present administration in the state to assist farmers to boost agricultural production. He said: “In the last quarter of 2013, the state bought grains of N355 million. We also spent monies on veterinary services, livestock, irrigation, procurement of fertilizer and machinery.“We already have 27 irrigation schemes across […]

Funtua said a lot is being done by the present administration in the state to assist farmers to boost agricultural production.
 He said: “In the last quarter of 2013, the state bought grains of N355 million. We also spent monies on veterinary services, livestock, irrigation, procurement of fertilizer and machinery.
“We already have 27 irrigation schemes across the state, but we need to expand. We also realized that most of the dams are underutilized so, we intend to explore their benefits. Another thing is the Songhai project and extension of agricultural programmes. All these have been captured in the budget.”
He said of the N7 billion budgeted for agriculture in 2013, only N5.7 billion was expended, while N13.6 billion has been appropriated for agriculture, this year.
He said the state would establish more irrigation schemes and expand its agricultural projects.
Funtua said the 27 government-owned irrigation sites in the state are not sufficient for the farmers. He observed: “In Jibiya for example, before the Shema administration, only 100 hectares were utilized for gravity, but now the capacity of that irrigation scheme is above 3,500 hectares. Last year alone, we utilized more than 3,200 hectares. Now under the state intervention, we distribute fertilizer and seedlings, free diesel to run the machines, extension services, purchase and maintenance of machinery.
“Katsina State is an agrarian state. We even produce more than we can consume. Our land is such that we can farm in the rainy and dry seasons and we intend to explore all its potentials. The farmers in Katsina have very bright future.”