Sokoto distributes N1bn loan to farmers

Alhaji Tureta said the state government in collaboration with Fidelity Bank Plc doled out N50 million to each of the 23 local government areas in the state for distribution to registered farmers  who are mainly smallholder farmers.He said the loan given to the farmers in the state is at zero interest rate as the government […]

Alhaji Tureta said the state government in collaboration with Fidelity Bank Plc doled out N50 million to each of the 23 local government areas in the state for distribution to registered farmers  who are mainly smallholder farmers.
He said the loan given to the farmers in the state is at zero interest rate as the government has volunteered to pay the interest on behalf of the benefitting farmers, noting that majority of the population of the state are farmers and they require the loan to boost their agricultural activities.
“We tried as much as possible to capture all the serious farmers in the state. But you know in a state like ours where majority of the people are farmers, you can hardly satisfy everybody in terms of distribution of farming loan and other inputs. But we tried to reach out to as many farmers as we can. The exercise is a continues one. Our resolve to assist our farmers is total.
“The state in collaboration with the federal government has distributed large consignments of fertilizer under the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), free assorted seeds, insecticides and herbicides. These were distributed to farmers every season – both rainy and dry seasons. This intervention by government is actually yielding the desired result as increase in agricultural production is being recorded in the state every season.
“It is our target under the present administration in the state to ensure that we develop our farmers from the traditional farming system to modern farming where consumer industries will be waiting for their  products to buy as they are harvesting them. The state government will not just allow the farmers to produce without buyers. We shall link the farmers in the state with bulk and industrial buyers of farm produce so that they can enjoy the gains of their labour,” he said.
The commissioner stated that the state is into large production of rice, sorghum, millet, maize, vegetables such as tomatoes, onions and several other crops in addition to livestock. He said though wet season and irrigation farming takes place all over the state, Goronyo irrigation project remains the largest and most viable single project, accommodating more farmers in the state.
On the reported plan by the federal government to concession rice irrigation sites in the country to private investors, Alhaji Tureta said the government does not have the right to concession the irrigation farmlands at Goronyo irrigation project site because the farmlands belong to individual farmers and their consent must be obtained before their property could be concessioned.
Alhaji Tureta who was chairman of the Board of Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBDA), managers of Goronyo and other federal government owned dams in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina states, said the federal government entered into an agreement with farmers that own farmlands at all irrigation sites including the one at Goronyo before the flag off of the project.
“The agreement is there. It is clearly stated that the farmlands at the irrigation site with the exception of the channels belong to the individual farmers. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture is coordinating the irrigation project. The dams belong to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources while the farmlands belong to the individual farmers.
“As at now, Sokoto State government has not been contacted by anybody over the planned concession of the irrigation site. The federal government can only reach out to the farmers through the state government. The state government is yet to be contacted on the matter. There is need for the farmers to be contacted over the issue before any decision could be taken on that,” he said.