Sasakawa Africa Association, has launched the distribution of farm inputs to 1,785 farmers for 2024 wet season farming in 17 local government areas of Niger State.
The Country Director, Sasakawa Africa Association, Dr Godwin Atsar, disclosed this at the launching of he distribution of the farm inputs in Minna on Monday.
The inputs distribution was under a project titled “Improving “Improving Farmers Resilience and Up scaling Productivity Incomes and Livelihood in Rice, Maize, Soyabean, Cowpea and Vegetable Value Chains in Niger ‘.
The project was funded by AGRA and implemented by a consortium of four organizations under the leadership of Sasakawa Africa Association
Atsar, represented by Prof. Sani Miko, his Special Adviser, listed the benefiting council areas to include; Agaie, Agwara, Bida, Borgu, Bosso, Chanchaga and Edati.
Others were Gbako, Gurara, Katcha, Lapai, Lavun, Mokwa, Paiko, Suleja, Tafa and Wushishi.
Atsar said the distribution was an annual event where farmers were trained and given quality inputs and seeds to establish demonstration plots to plant crops such as rice, maize, soybean and cow-pea for others to learn.
“We are all aware that agriculture is facing serious challenges and the food crisis, all our efforts now are to make sure there is food security, we can not make any headway if farmers don’t use quality inputs.
“The beneficiaries are to establish demonstration plot guided by extension agents using quality inputs and seeds to produce food,” he said.
Also, Dr Gambo Abdulhamid, a Deputy Director, Sasakawa Nigeria, commended AGRA for funding the activities since 2017.
He added that together with Sasakawa, a lot of progress had been made in promoting value chain extension.
Abdulhamid said the project funded by AGRA and implemented by Sasakawa, had worked with 556, 250 farmers from 2017 to date in the state aimed at increasing farmers productivity, support in processing and market linkages.
He said 1,785 farmers had been trained on different agro-good practices to use the free inputs given to them in their various demonstration plots applying what they learned to increase productivity.
In his remarks, Gov. Umaru Bago of Niger, said his administration’s agricultural revolution was geared towards solving issues of food crisis in the state and the country at large.
Bago, represented by Alhaji Bawa Bosso, the state Commissioner for Agriculture , said the intervention by Sasakawa, AGRA and other partners would boost the livelihoods of farmers, create jobs for youths and make the state agriculture hub.
One of the beneficiaries, Saratu Abubakar, appreciated Sasakawa and AGRA for the inputs and pledged to use them to increase productivity.