The Acting Governor of Niger, Alhaji Yakubu Garba, on Thursday, officially kicked off the distribution of one million banana suckers to 250,000 farming households in the state.
In a speech at the ceremony in Minna, Garba described the State Government’s gesture as part of the measures to ensure food security for the nation and uplift the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the state.
“Our partnership with ‘One Hectare One Family and Niger Foods and Logistics’ is one of the gains from the Niger State Green Economy Summit, which is pivotal to our agricultural development agenda.
“This symbiotic relationship will distribute one million banana seedlings to 250,000 households across the state within four years.
“This programme has the potential to economically empower households, improve nutrition, and accelerate agro-industrial development through processing industries in the state,” Garba said.
According to him, the state has the largest land mass and other agricultural potentials to feed the country and export food.
“Therefore, our agricultural development programmes, under the ‘New Niger Agenda,’ is to lead other states in food production that will guarantee food security and ensure surplus for export,” he further said.
The acting governor also said that the State Government had prioritised agricultural development to increase food production, reduce market prices, and attract investors.
He said, “We have invested in mechanisation, input provision, and infrastructure to ensure bumper harvest this farming season.”
Garba, therefore, called on genuine investors to invest in the state’s commercial crop and livestock production.
He said that government had created an enabling environment with several incentives for agricultural enterprises to thrive in the state.
He advised the beneficiaries to manage the seedlings effectively to improve their families nutrition and income.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Alhaji Musa Bosso, said that the Memorandum of Understanding to supply the one million banana suckers was signed in 2023 between the State Government and the one hectare, one family development partners.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the state Secretary, Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture, Mrs Victoria Yakubu thanked the government for its kind gesture.
Yakubu described the measure as a welcome development geared toward lifting the burden of survival off their shoulders.
She expressed the joy that the improved suckers would have good yield. (NAN)(
