Ganduje urges consistent agric policies to boost food production

Reliable and unswerving agricultural policies can improve the country’s food production and ensure development of the sector, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has said.

Ganduje told journalists in Kano on Friday that the bane of agriculture in Nigeria over the years, had been inconsistent agricultural policies.

“Consistent policy on agriculture will improve food production and ensure the development of the sector,” he said.

He said the state government would continue to give priority to the sector considering that majority of the people of the state are farmers.

He said his administration had spent more than N1 billion to resuscitate the state Fertilizer Blending Plant in the state as part of efforts to ensure adequate provision of fertiliser to farmers.

“The company made a profit of N500 million in the last year as it sold the commodity to some states including Kebbi,” Ganduje said.

He said the state government was able to circumvent middle men by identifying genuine farmers and dealing with them directly.

The governor expressed optimism that with the ban on importation of rice, the country would be able to produce enough rice for both local consumption and export.

He added that the state government has ensure adequate provision of fertiliser, improved seeds and other inputs to farmers across the 44 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

He said the state government found it necessary to support the farmers to support the Federal Government’s efforts at diversifying the economy and to augment the country’s dwindling revenue owing to the fall in the price of oil.

Speaking on almajiris, Ganduje said the state government was working closely with other governors to devise a way to prevent them from migrating to Kano state.

“There are at least 3 million almajiris in Kano and most of them are from Niger Republic, Chad and other states of the federation.

“Since we don’t have a law which prevents almajiris from coming to Kano, we are trying to convince other governors to prevent them from migrating to or state,’’ Ganduje said.