NO fewer than 40,000 farmers are to benefit from the services to be rendered by 500 tractors made available for the 2018 farming season by the Bauchi state government.
This was disclosed by the State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar while flagging off the distribution of the 500 tractors, farm machineries and other agricultural inputs procured by the State Government in line with the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) policy of agricultural development to promote food sufficiency, job creation and increase in government’s revenue generation.
The Governor said that the procurement of the tractors and other farm inputs was carried out under the State agricultural entrepreneurship development programme, which is an avenue for the distribution of farm inputs to both large and small-scale farmers across the state at affordable cost.
The Governor recalled that the administration was worried about the deteriorating state of agricultural activities in the state, as a result of which he tasked professionals on the payroll of the state government and engaged some consultants to look into the problem and proffer lasting solutions to them under a programme management team.
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“It is this initiative that brings about this laudable programme of supplying 500 units of 75 Horse Power tractors and other farm inputs to our dear farmers for the purpose of advancement of agricultural activities in the State,” the Governor said.
He added that “We have subsidized the inputs by 40% across the board with a considerable repayment period that our dear farmers will pay back at almost zero burdens.”
Mohammed Abubakar then appealed to the beneficiaries of the programme to ensure judicious use of the agricultural inputs and ensure prompt repayment to enable others to benefit.
Other items for distribution include assorted fertilizers, herbicides, seeds, tractor power tillers, manual planters, rice slashers, rice ruminant fattening, poultry production (table eggs), fish production (table size), fish feed production and groundnut oil extractors.
Among the 40,000 farmers expected to benefit from the programme include both state and local government civil servants, pensioners, large-scale farmers’ cooperative groups, federal institutions and trade unions.
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