Jigawa state government, in collaboration with a Chinese firm, Lee Group of Companies, Wednesday said it had concluded plans to distribute improved rice seedlings to farmers for transplanting.
Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Alhassan Muhammad, who stated this in Yamidi, Auyo local government area, while inspecting a pilot farm in which the seedlings were grown, stated that the seedlings to be distributed would cover 104 hectares.
He said the objective of the project was to boost rice production in the state, especially in its Northeast zone, which was endowed with rice farming potentialities.
Muhammad noted that improvement in rice production would create more jobs and enhance food security in the state.
The commissioner, who oversees the state Ministry of Agriculture, called on youth to develop interest in agriculture, saying the sector was a money-spinner.
In his remarks, Special Adviser to Governor Mohammad Badaru on community inclusion, Alhaji Hamza Muhammad, urged farmers to acquire the seedlings to increase their yield and income.
In a vote of thanks, chairman, Auyo local government council, Alhaji Umar Musa-Kalgwai, commended the ministry for citing the pilot farm in the area, and advised farmers to take advantage of it.(NAN)
