Empowers 2,500 to farm sorghum
Kogi unveils food security plans, supports 691 rice farmers
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has engaged 6,111 farmers in the state’s mega farm scheme in 10 councils. According to him, the scheme will encourage farmers and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to return to their communities and fully engage in farming.

Also, the governor has supported 2,500 farmers in five councils with N12.5 million to produce sorghum, a ‘wonder crop’ known as ‘masakwa’.The Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Bukar Talba, disclosed this yesterday at an inter-ministerial briefing in Maiduguri.

“They are to farm alongside these mega farms and beef up security apparatus,” he said, adding that Agro Rangers, Civilian JTF and hunters would guard the farmers.He said the mega farms would produce rice, maize, groundnuts, beans and sesame seeds in the 10 councils.

The siting of farms in Konduga, Ngala, Dikwa, Mafa, Gubio, Damboa, Biu, Askira/Uba, Magumeri and Kaga are based on the each council’s comparative advantage of producing five different crops.

Talba also pledged to remove for the farmers all trade barriers to markets. Masakwa is not a rain-fed or irrigated crop, but matures for harvest in January or February, he said.

“The targeted farmers, who were each supported by Zulum with N5,000 to raise masakwa seedlings, are drawn from Dikwa, Mafa, Ngala, Gwoza and Bama councils.
“In Zulum’s efforts to re-invigorate the old farming of masakwa, which is only known in Borno, he has embarked on sensitisation of farmers in Firgi area and Marte/Dikwa axis,” he added.

The farmers are expected to commence production of the wonder crop by October this year, after they had raised the seedlings for transplanting. Speaking on the drought-resistant crop, he said: “Masakwa is being transplanted immediately the rainfall ceases. It grows on residual moisture and matures within two months of transplanting with proven high yield.”

MEANWHILE, the Kogi State Government has unveiled its food sufficiency plan under the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement, and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) to make the state the top producer of rice, cashew and cassava in the country.‬

Disclosing this yesterday in Lokoja, the deputy governor, Chief Edward Onoja, said “to achieve this goal, the state government has released N633 million to fund the Value Chain Investment Plan (VCIP)” produced by the farmers throughout the state.

According to him, no fewer than 691 rice farmers across the state have benefited from the distribution of farm input empowered by the APPEALS project to boost rice production.

The farm input was part of efforts by the project to quell impending scarcity of food caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-induced lockdown in the country.

Coordinator of APPEALS, Dr. Sani Ozomata, said the project had development objectives of enhancing small and medium scale farmers to support their value addition.