The Kano State government has commenced the desilting of its 22 dams as part of efforts to support dry season farming. This involves removing silt, sediment, and other deposits that have accumulated over the years in the dams.
The state commissioner for agriculture and natural resources, Dr Danjuma Mahmoud, disclosed this yesterday in Kano.
He said the government had also commenced massive clearance of 1,299 cultivable lands to ensure improved farming activities in the upcoming dry season.
“We have set aside 1,299 hectares of land at Dansoshiya forest to boost irrigation farming in Kano, and the country at large.
“The desilting of our dams will help us to boost agricultural productivity, enhance food security, support farmers’ livelihoods and promote sustainable water management practices.
“After cultivating and harvesting the crops, there is also the need to use good roads to evacuate the produce to their various destinations, including the houses and markets,” the commissioner added.
He further said, “The state government had embarked on a massive construction of rural roads to facilitate the evacuation of the farm produce after harvest.”
The commissioner explained that the state government had purchased fertiliser worth about N6.2 billion for distribution to farmers in order to boost agriculture production in the state.
According to him, 52 trucks of the fertiliser worth N1.2 billion had already been distributed to farmers in the 44 local government areas of the state, free of charge.
He disclosed that the state government had procured 180 trucks of fertiliser worth N5 billion for distribution to the farmers at 50 percent discounted rate.
