Borno State commissioner for agriculture and natural resources, Engr. Bawu Musami, has said the state government has drilled 5,000 tube-wells in addition to procurement of 1,100kg maize seeds for irrigation farming schemes in some local government areas of the state to boost food production.
He added that Governor Babagana Zulum had approved the procurement of a modular tomatoe paste making machine to avert post- harvest losses during the seasonal production of tomatoes.
Musami who spoke in an interview with journalists in Maiduguri said the state government was doing more than enough in agriculture through the establishment of many irrigation schemes including the one in Kawayar- kwusa, which had been fallow for about 40 years, but is now resuscitated.
He said government had allocated 2,000 hectares in the Dadin Kowa irrigation scheme in Upper Benue and Bayo which are now set, adding that the government had also put in place the infrastructure required for the projects which include the primary, secondary and tertiary canals.
“We are now ready to kick start irrigation schemes this season. Right now there are ongoing irrigation schemes in Gamboru- Ngala. We are hoping to use this scheme in the coming irrigation season.
“ The governor has established more than enough solar powered irrigation schemes, we have optimised the free flow boreholes in Dikwa, Mafa, Gajibo among other areas from 2.5 litres per second to 45 litres per second.
“We are having our green house that was moribund for more than three to four years which has been resuscitated in partnership with an agric firm. In the next one or two weeks, we will start harvesting tomatoes in order to address off season tomatoes demand.
The green house is under a controlled climate where we water the tomatoes using the drip irrigation kits,” Musami said.
He commended the federal government for supporting Borno farmers with 54,000 bags of fertiliser, saying the government had begun the distribution of the about 36,000 bags of fertiliser so far evacuated to the deserving local government areas of the state.
He said apart from the 54,000 bags donated by the federal government, the state government had earlier subsidised fertilizer for farmers with a bag going for N15,000 against the market price of N30,000.
