From Beatrice GONDYI, Bauchi
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has approved the sum of N653 million revolving fund to the Bauchi State Agricultural Supply Company (BASAC) to ensure the continuous supply of genuine and certified fertilizers to farmers at a subsidized rate in the state.
Bala enumerated some of the achievements of his administration to include purchase and distribution of insecticide sprays for 3,850, youths, purchase of 5,000 water pumps to be distributed during dry season farming, purchase of organic fertilizers and other agricultural inputs for farmers, the release of N200 million for settlement of N700 million debt owed to NSIA amongst other achievements.
Bala who stated this during the weekend at the official launching ceremony of the 2020 farming season sales of fertilizers and OPC Africa Coronavirus (COVID-19) palliative support project to Bauchi farmers, which held at the BASAC agricultural premises in Bauchi, reiterated that the present administration came into power with the passion to change the status quo of agricultural activities to a modern system where farmers can benefit immensely with a new approach.
According to him, his administration inherited an agricultural sector that was comatose, pointing out that the extension department of the ministry of agriculture where there was extension farming was neglected for years.
“In our efforts to revolutionalize the sector and write the wrongs of the past, the government has started settling almost N700 million debt inherited on fertilizers incurred by the last administration to the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, (NSIA). With this arrangement, Bauchi State has gotten out of the black book of NSIA and we are now relisted to continue benefiting from NPK Presidential fertilizer initiative”
“I am calling on the agency to make judicious use of the fund as we have purchased organic fertilizers worth N99 million to support farmers to increase their output. Government has equally purchased assorted grains worth N150 million as part of strategic game reserve programme while we have restored collaboration with OPC Africa Morocco to develop the agricultural sector” he said
In his address at the event, the State Commissioner of Agriculture, Pharmacist Sama’ila Adamu Burga said that the state government in its one year of inception has transformed the agricultural sector by implementing a solid agricultural policy that is tailored towards the development of the sector.
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