In its effort to boost food production in the country, the federal government has formerly flagged of this year’s (2014) dry season farming in Niger state. The flag off took place at the Tungan Kawo dam and Irrigation project farm land.
Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe said the dry season farming more than ever before will be taken more seriously in an effort to guarantee all year farming to further boost food production in the country.
She noted that Agriculture in the country had been over dependent on rainfall adding that henceforth, government has taken a new step to revive dry season farming as a way of encouraging an all year farming and subsequently providing jobs for the jobless and also boosting food production in the country.
Mrs. Ochekpe noted that the role of her ministry in the revitalization of the Agriculture sector cannot be overemphasized saying, “ my ministry and that of Agriculture are partners in progress because without water, there cannot be Agriculture and food production and that is why my ministry has decided to transform the
Agrarian community into Agro base Economy.”
The Managing Director, Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority, Professor Paul Marley in his speech said the dry season farming is part of the federal government Agricultural Transformation Agenda in the area of food security and that all steps will be taken to accomplish the task.
He described the Tungan Kawo Dam and Irrigation project as multi-purpose to farmers and inhabitants of the surrounding villages pointing out that the reservoir alone provides enough water for the irrigation of a gross area of 900 hectares with the advantage of double cropping with not less than 1,800 hectares put to rice cultivation annually by about 900 farmers which is expected to yield 5,400 tones of paddy rice.
Source- Vanguard News
