By Rita Iliya

The Sasakawa Africa Association Nigeria in partnership with AGRA, has distributed farm inputs to 7,400 farmers in Niger state to support dry season farming.

Dr Godwin Atser, Country Director of Sasakawa Africa Association Nigeria, said in Minna on Friday that the distribution was the first phase.

Atser, represented by Dr Abdulhamid Gambo, Deputy Country Director, said the items distributed included four solar pumps.

Other items are 15 petrol water pumps, three parboiling pots, fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides.

He said the distribution would benefit farmers’ groups to engage in dry season farming and reduce cost of production.

“This will support 7,400 farmers across clusters in 17 local government areas to engage in irrigation farming,” he said.

He noted that the items would improve farmers’ productivity through good agronomic practices, adding that farmers had been trained on major farm operations.

“We are also supporting women farmers in rice production and processing, providing them with false bottom parboiling pots to promote hygienic parboiling practices,” he added.

Also speaking, Mr Godswill Aguyi, Programme Officer for AGRA, said the inputs would increase farmers’ productivity and income, enables farmers to practice two seasons per year, and promote sustainable agriculture practices.

“We are going green, and since we now have technology that can help farmers without depending on high-cost fuel, it is good for us to begin to encourage people to adopt this kind of equipment,” he said.

According to him, with the high cost of fuel, solar-based irrigation pumps will provide relief to farmers and promote environmental sustainability.

In their separate remarks, Mrs Cecilia Usman from Ebosoko Women Society Group, Mokwa, and Isah Ladan, appreciated Sasakawa and AGRA for the inputs.

They said the inputs would help them multiply their yields and cut production cost, adding that the equipment came at the right time.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the intervention was under Agra-Niger State Consortium Project.

It is tagged “Improving Farmers Resilience and Upscaling Productivity Incomes and Livelihood in Rice, Maize, Soyabean, Cowpea, Onion value chains” (NAN)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz