Agriculture still pulling weight in Katsina with N13bn revenue 

The Katsina State government has announced that agricultural entrepreneurs in the state have generated N13 billion across the various value chains of the sector, while the state government accrued N393 million revenue from taxes and levies in the sector despite the bandit attacks and other insecurity challenges faced by farming communities across the northwestern state.

Governor Aminu Bello Masari made the disclosure while launching the 600 hectares of date planting campaign organised by the National Association of Date Farmers Processors and Marketers of Nigeria (NADAFPAM) in partnership with the state government.

According to Masari, the implementation of various projects and programmes in the agricultural sector as contained in the state agricultural restoration project had impacted positively on the lives of small and medium scale farmers across the state. He added that over 1.2 million short term and long term jobs have been created mostly among youths and women across the 34 local government areas of the state.

The governor further assured that his administration would continue to support farmers to enable them gain access to improved farming techniques and agricultural inputs as well as enhance surplus output in order to close the gap of food shortages created by banditry in the front line local governments.

“From inception of this present administration to date, additional 605,525 hectares have been put under cultivation thereby recording an increase of 172 percent. Also, about 1,91000,440 metric tonnes, translating to an increase of 192 percent, was recorded in production,” he noted.

Hussaini Dikko, national president, NADAFPAM, in his remarks, said the association has trained 60 youths on date farming and was planning to empower the youths financially in order to enhance productivity across the state.

Dikko added that NADAFPAM, with the support of the state government, would continue to provide infrastructure and agricultural inputs to date farmers and create an enabling environment for development partners’ participation for effective production.