Dawanau supplies 85% of grains to IDPs nationwide — Market President

The President of the Dawanau Market Development Association (DMDA), Alhaji Muttaka Isa, has stated that the Dawanau International Grains Market in Kano supplies approximately 85 per cent of the food consumed at internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps across Nigeria through the World Food Programme (WFP).

He also mentioned that Nigeria is blessed with vast land for farming, but cited the high cost of farming inputs and inadequate utilisation of these resources as major challenges hampering agricultural development in the country.

Alhaji Isa made these statements on Thursday while speaking with the press. He added that the market, situated in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, has become a food basket for Northern Nigeria and, by extension, sub-Saharan Africa.

He stated, “This market is very big and operates beyond imagination. I can tell you that we supply the World Food Programme with 80 to 85 per cent of the foodstuffs it distributes to IDP camps across Nigeria.”

Isa encouraged Nigerians to engage in the exportation of cash crops such as sesame, hibiscus, and groundnuts, noting that it is profitable and contributes to government revenue.

Exporting such crops could also help strengthen the nation’s economy by boosting the value of the naira against the dollar, he added.

Alhaji Isa highlighted the lack of adequate power supply as one of the major challenges facing the market. He mentioned that the lack of a steady electricity supply has led to increased spending on diesel to power machines and equipment used in food processing at the market, forcing them to engage other firms to do the work.

He further disclosed that, aside from the power issue, rising prices of goods and services pose a significant challenge.

For instance, the cost of transportation of goods from the southern part of the country has skyrocketed to above N1 million per trip, leading to increased commodity prices.

Alhaji Isa emphasised the need for the provision of adequate and high-quality farm inputs to farmers at subsidised rates.

He appealed to the Federal Government to urgently provide modern farm implements and inputs at subsidised rates to ensure food security.

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