By Rabiu Musa
A rice farmer in Kano state, has set an agenda for the Kano state government, calling on the administration to place higher premium on the rice farming sub-sector to scale-up Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
This, according to the farmer, can be achieved by utilizing Kano’s endowed and expanse of fertile land and initiating specific interventions to boost agricultural value chain and enhance food security.
He said ‘’Inclusive rice farming will significantly assist the state to stay afloat and remain self-reliant if the market opportunities would be properly harnessed and farmers adequately supported’’.
Speaking to Farmers Voice in Kura town, the Chairman, AGOLAS Rice Farmers Association, Malam. Ado Kura said ‘’Kano state as a strategic location and commercial entrepot, has a great potential to generate revenue that could cater for the needs of the people in the state without reliance on federal allocation’’.
He opined that ‘’Kano government should collaborate with research institutions and identify niche activities in rice farming business, particularly irrigation and other farming varieties that engender business competitiveness among citizens’’.
Korau further advised Kano government to strive to revive all moribund dams and channelize it to heavily irrigated farming areas and ensure a comprehensive water resource management for sustainability.
According to him, ‘’developing a broader policy concept of agriculture beyond mere cropping and cereal production to encompass the development of rice marketing strategies to International markets will greatly improve the revenue of the state’’.
To scale up food production, the farmer said a wholesome roadmap to address challenges encountered by rice farmers which include but are not limited to high fertilizer cost, poor access to credit facilities, and high cost of insecticides among others should be considered.
He called on the government to ensure equitable and accountable distribution of agricultural incentives from the state, federal and private donors to avoid diversion to non-farmers.
