The Jigawa Government has distributed 54 tractors and other agricultural inputs to boost wheat farming in the state.
Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa announced this on Thursday in Dutse while presenting the items to the 27 local government councils of the state.
Namadi said his administration would cultivate 40,000 hectares of wheat farmland in collaboration with the Federal Government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items included the 54 new tractors with complete implements, such as tipping trailers, ridgers, harrows and ploughs.
“I want to inform you that we are going to clear field for the commencement of wheat plantation which is a federal and state’s government joint project as well as African Development Bank,” he said.
The governor said that Jigawa was challenged to cultivate 40,000 hectares of wheat, adding that the state had agreed to do it because it has the manpower, the capacity and the land.
He said that the tractors would be on the field Oct. 27, saying that the tractors are not for decoration but for use by the rural farming communities across the state.
Namadi therefore asked the chairmen to make good use of the implements for the benefit of all farmers.
“Today is another important day in our efforts to revolutionized agriculture in Jigawa state. We have already promised that we will try to mechanized agriculture in Jigawa in order to ensure that our farmers get value for what they have done,” the governor said.
Namadi said that the unveiling of the new tractors two per local government was in fulfilment of the promised he made to the teeming farming communities.
He explained that the idea of involving local government chairmen was because their closeness to the people at the grassroots, noting that by involving chairmen the rural dwellers will get the benefit of the tractors.
The governor however said that the tractors were not given free as it were, but the state government would only stand as a grantor for the supplying company to ensure it recovered its money from the councils installment system.
Alhaji Ahmed Garba, the state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, appreciated Namadi for making agricultural implements accessible to the farming communities in the state.
Garba assured the government that his ministry would also put monitoring mechanism to ensure judicious use of the equipment.
Alhaji Rabiu Maigatari, the Managing Director, Jigawa Agricultural Supply Company Ltd (JASCO), said the idea of procuring the tractors for the local governments councils was in line with Namadi’s vision in mechanising agriculture in the state for maximum productivity.
“It is based on the directives of His Excellency that we entered into agreement with the local governments through the Ministry of Local Government Affairs on the supply of two tractors to each council,” the managing director said.
Maigatari said that the brand of Messey Fergusson Tractors is among the highest grade of tractors tested and found durable within the farming community.
He said that in order to ensure ease of payment by the council areas, installment plan of 12 months was approved by the state government, though the actual price of tractors was not mentioned.
“It is important to state that while considering the supply of the tractors, we are not unaware of the need of our large scale farmers from whom we receive individual requests to partake in this kind of project.
“In this regard, therefore, we are in talk with Directorate of Economic Empowerment to design a mechanism that will look into the requests of our large scale farmers with the approval of His Excellency,” he said.
According to him, the company is also displaying 10 combined harvesters of which JASCO is in liaison with the Directorate of Economic Empowerment in sourcing interested large scale farmers for possible supply.
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