By Mustapha Salisu
Kano State governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has said in line with the objectives of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) programme has ordered the rehabilitation and renovation of institutions to boost food production in the state.
The Governor disclosed this at the launching of a seven-year Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) programme championed by The Federal Government of Nigeria in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Representing the Governor at the flag-off, the Commissioner, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Musa Suleiman Shanono said the institutions to be rehabilitated and renovated by Governor Yusuf’s led administration include: poultry, livestock, fisheries, irrigation, farm mechanisation and entrepreneurship development institutes.
This according to him will elevate Kano and Nigeria’s agribusiness sector into a new height of excellence for local, regional and global food markets.
Also speaking, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by Musa Bukar, the Director of Projects Coordinating Unit (PCU), emphasized that this program aligns with national priorities like Agro-Food System Transformation, NATIP, and the presidential declaration on food security and sustainability.
“This seven-year program will involve seven states: Kano, Imo, Kaduna, Cross River, Kwara, Oyo, and Ogun,” he said.
FARMERS VOICE gathered that the SAPZ programme, supported by the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank, is designed to create agricultural platforms promoting private sector investment in agro-processing, leading to improved food security, job creation, import substitution, poverty reduction, and increased agricultural contribution to the GDP.