The Kebbi State Authorities has introduced plans to extend the variety of extension staff within the state from 69 to 1,000 as a part of efforts to spice up agricultural growth.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Pure Assets, Alhaji Shehu Mu’azu, made this identified through the 2024 Weekly Ministerial Press Briefing held in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.
Mu’azu said the significance of extension staff in conveying details about new agricultural applied sciences to farmers throughout the state, stating their position in enhancing agricultural productiveness.
“When the brand new authorities got here on board, we realized that we had solely 69 extension staff within the state.
“We imagine that extension staff are key to agricultural development and growth as a result of they’re those to convey details about new applied sciences to farmers throughout the state.
“In view of this, His Excellency, Dr. Nasir Idris, has stepped up efforts to extend the variety of these extension staff from 69 to 1,000 to spice up agricultural productiveness,” he stated.
He stated the quantity in the meanwhile has been elevated to 650, including that plans have been underway to reabsorb retired extension brokers in the direction of grooming the youthful ones.
He famous with satisfaction that the current administration had ensured the provision of real, dependable and high quality seeds all season to farmers within the state.
He said, “ICT and environment friendly methods can be deployed to strengthen agricultural service supply within the state to make sure efficient, well timed and statewide dissemination of excellent agricultural, climate-smart data reaches out to farmers.
“One other developmental exercise is; Quelea birds management each through the moist and dry seasons of 2023 to stop the destruction of millet and rice.”
The commissioner additionally identified different agricultural growth initiatives within the state, together with the distribution of solar-powered irrigation pumps, procurement of Liquefied Pure Fuel, LNG, for transformed irrigation pumps, distribution of energy tillers and motorized pump sprayers to Farmers’ Cooperative Teams, and the participation of 39,500 farmers within the Federal Authorities’s dry season manufacturing programme.
This, he stated, concerned 30,000 rice farmers, 7,500 maize farmers and a couple of,000 cassava farmers throughout the state.
He additionally said that the state had launched the Kaura Agricultural Improvement and Development Agenda to draw agriculture and agribusiness investments within the state via partnerships at native, nationwide, and worldwide ranges.
