By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, on Thursday reiterated his administration’s commitment to making Kaduna State the agricultural and livestock capital of northern Nigeria as the government launched a major livestock support programme for farmers.
The governor made the pledge during the flag-off of the distribution of livestock interventions to 5,000 farmer cooperatives across the state.
Items distributed include 500 solar-powered freezers with panels, inverters and batteries; 300 feed millers; 3,000 bags of poultry feed; and 200,000 day-old chicks to cooperatives across the state’s 23 Local Government Areas.
Represented by Deputy Governor Hadiza Balarabe, Sani said the initiative forms part of efforts to transform agriculture and strengthen the livestock value chain.
“Our objective is to build a Kaduna State that feeds itself, supports the nation and exports to the world,” he said.
According to him, 5,000 farmers organised into cooperatives of 10 members each will directly benefit from the intervention.
He said the equipment would boost productivity, reduce losses, improve product quality and expand income opportunities, particularly for women and youths involved in the livestock sector.
Sani added that the state had also rehabilitated abattoirs and slaughter slabs, built veterinary clinics and provided boreholes in pastoral communities, while mobile veterinary teams were deployed to improve animal healthcare.
He said vaccination campaigns carried out by the government had protected more than 850,000 cattle, 250,000 sheep and goats, 250,000 poultry and 5,000 dogs from transboundary diseases.
The governor noted that the livestock programme complements the Tallafin Noma initiative, which has supported 69,000 crop farmers with seeds, fertiliser and mechanisation tools.
He added that ongoing rural road construction and agricultural projects would further improve farm-to-market access and strengthen the state’s agricultural economy.
Sani urged beneficiaries to use the equipment responsibly to expand productivity and improve livelihoods.
