Plans have been put in place by the Government of Kebbi state to increase the number of extension workers in the state from 69 to 1,000.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Shehu Mu’azu, during the 2024 Weekly ministerial press briefing, which was held in the state capital, Birnin Kebbi on Monday.
He said, “When the new government came on board, we realised that we had only 69 extension workers in the state. We believe that extension workers are key to agricultural growth and development because they are the ones to convey information about new technologies to farmers across the state. In view of this, His Excellency, Dr Nasir Idris, has stepped up efforts to increase the number of these extension workers from 69 to 1,000 to boost agricultural productivity.”
He added that the number of extension agents has been increased to 650, with plans to recruit retired agents to train younger ones.
The commissioner further noted that availability of genuine, reliable, and quality seeds has been ensured by the current administration for farmers in the state.
According to him, “ICT and efficient strategies will be deployed to strengthen agricultural service delivery in the state to ensure effective, timely and statewide dissemination of good agricultural, climate-smart information reaches out to farmers.
“Another developmental activity is; Quelea birds control both during the wet and dry seasons of 2023 to prevent the destruction of millet and rice.
“We also procured 6,000 units of solar-powered irrigation pumps which are currently being distributed to farmers across the state.
“We also granted approval for the procurement of 10,000 units of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for converted irrigation pumps.
“We procured and distributed 300 power tillers and 300 motorised pump sprayers to Farmers’ Cooperative Groups,” he said.
The Chairman of the Kaura Local Government Area in Kaduna State, Mu’azu, disclosed that 39,500 farmers took part in the Federal Government’s dry season production programme. The programme involved 30,000 rice farmers, 7,500 maize farmers and 2,000 cassava farmers across the state.
He guaranteed that the state launched Kaura Agricultural Development and Growth Agenda, which involves partnerships that cut across the local, national, and international levels for investments in agriculture and agribusiness in the state.
