Kano state government has approved the sum of N252 million for the
purchase of quality tomato seeds and pesticides for farmers in the state.
The state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje made this known in a speech
during the during the 2017 wheat harvest ceremony at Garun- Babba, in
Garun- Mallam Local Government area of the state.
He said the move is to cushion the effect of the loss suffered by the
farmers, as a result of the Tuta Absoluta incidence last year, as a result
of which over 1, 480 hectares of tomato were destroyed in the state.
Governor Ganduje also said the state input supply company, KASCO, has been
revitalized through the injection of hundreds of millions of Naira in the
desire of the administration to make fertilizer available to farmers and
for sale to other states.
“In the same vein, the Federal Government has considered KASCO as part of
its national special fertilizer intervention program”, he highlighted.
The governor added that “the state government has procured 500 units of
irrigation hydraulic pumps and placed an order for another 5000 units for
distribution to dry season farmers to boost agricultural production in the
state”.
He said the government also employed 729 extension workers to add to the
existing ones and this, positioned Kano as the state with the highest
number of extension staff in the country.
Highlights of the occasion include the presentation of empowerment
packages and seeds worth millions of Naira to selected farmers and farmers
cooperative associations in the state.