Hardship: Bauchi govt approves roadmap for food security, availability 

The Bauchi State government has disclosed readiness to engage stakeholders for the development of aquaculture and dry-season farming at the Gubi Dam site.

Consequently, the State Executive Council during its extraordinary meeting held on Thursday at the EXCO Chambers of the Government House, has approved the roadmap for the development of the process. 

Though the main programme will be at Gubi Dam site in Ganjuwa LGA, other available dams around the state too will be considered, aimed at addressing hunger and poverty among citizens of the state.

The disclosure was made by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Simon Madugu Yalams, who said that the Council noted with great concern, the challenges of food security and availability in the state. 

The Council therefore approved the constitution of a high-powered Committee for rapid response and measures in that regard.

According to him, fishing activities at the main Gobi dam processing plant were approved by the Council as well as the organization of its activities to meet the challenges of land encroachment in various places.

Simon Yallams also said that the council discussed the Special Agricultural Processing Zone in order to process local food locally as a project with the help of the African Development Bank in order to add more value to local production.

The state executive council also discussed the issue of a livestock resistance project that would help address the clashes of pastoralists and farmers, adding that it is a project with the help of the World Bank.

The Commissioner stressed that the government is worried about hunger that is causing anger among people, assuring that efforts are made to avoid a crisis in the state. 

He also said that no time is too early for any serious farmer to procure farm inputs before the farming season begins, assuring however that the government is trying to make such available at all times. 

The Commissioner then called on the people to support the government in that direction in order to make food readily available and fight poverty headlong.