Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno on Monday in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar local government area directed the profiling of 3,000 families to be provided with packages of agricultural inputs.
The inputs to be provided to the farmers include improved seeds, fertilizer, water pumps and chemicals, to enable them safely return to their farms, arranged to be secured by Nigerian military.
The 3,000 families will benefit from Zulum’s gesture in the second phase of inputs’ distribution for rain-fed and irrigation farming.
Each of the 3,000 families will be made up of at least six persons, implying at least 18,000 persons benefitting in farm families.
Recall that Zulum, during his visit to Damasak in January 2021, had supervised the distribution of seeds, fertilizer, chemicals, water pumps and N5,000 to each of 1,200 irrigation farmers.
The governor on Monday, visited farms to assess progress made by the 1,200 irrigation.
According to him, “Earlier this year, we were here to support some of our farmers in the first phase. In this second phase, we will profile 3,000 families from those that did not benefit and we shall support them for both irrigation and rain fed farming. The 3,000 households to benefit will translate to about 20,000 or less persons benefitting from the scheme.”
The governor said he expected the 3,000 families to safely cultivate crops in hundreds of hectares of land like those used by the first batch of farmers to cultivate rice, pepper and onions through the state government’s start-up packages.
Zulum commended the farmers for their commitment to agriculture which resulted in bumper harvest recorded in Damasak.
“I am happy with what I have seen here, you have done a very good job. Food security remains critical to our administration, we must do everything for our people to continually engage in agricultural activities to sustain food security to the citizens,” Zulum said.
Damasak, which was famous for massive agriculture, had farming activities suspended for nearly six years following Boko Haram’s occupation in 2014; a situation that threatened food security in the area.
“Let me commend the Nigerian military, the police and other paramilitary forces for their unprecedented support to our farmers. They allowed our farmer to safely go to their farmlands and return within stipulated time. To the Chief of Army Staff, the theatre commander and all principal officers, we remain eternally grateful to all of them as they steadily implement the directive of Mr President that the military should secure safe farming in Borno,” Zulum said.
The governor was accompanied to Damasak by the member representing Mobbar LGA at the Borno State House of Assembly, Usman Lawan Moruma, and the state’s Commissioner for riculture, Engr. Bukar Talba.
