The FADAMA III Additional Financing, a collaborative project of the World Bank, federal and state governments, has been of immense benefits to farmers in Niger State, according to a statement from FADAMA.

The statement quoted the Niger State Coordinator for FADAMA III AF, Engineer Aliyu Usman Kutugi, as saying that the project had greatly enhanced the capacities of   farmers, increased their income, boosted the economy and made life more worthy of living.

It added that Niger State is presently cultivating 371, 482 hectares of rice.

The statement read in part, “ Under the FADAMA III AF, 2, 635 rice farmers with 7, 100 hectares of land have been registered, 100 business plans for 10 production clusters were reviewed out of which 49 were approved and currently being implemented.

“Also, 10 facilitators and 1000 rice farmers have been trained, while awareness has been created for agro dealers, cultivation of 120 nursery beds by five production clusters.”

According to the statement, Mr. Kutugi, while informing that 20 tonnes of improved rice seeds (Faro 44) had been procured and distributed to rice farmers along with 480 litres of herbicides from certified agro dealers, also thanked the Niger State Government and the National FADAMA Team led by Mr. Tayo Adewunmi for their continued support and cooperation, without which the FADAMA III AF would not have been implemented.

It noted that Niger State had implemented six World Bank/FG-assisted projects under the agricultural sector namely Bida Agricultural Development Project, Multi-State Agricultural Development Project, National Agricultural Technology Support Project, FADAMA II and III, and presently implementing FADAMA III AF, which has helped to develop farmers-managed irrigation schemes of 400 hectares and formal irrigation schemes of 1,500 hectares.

Culled from Punch