The dry season rice farmers in Jigawa state described the present high cost of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) as a big threat to the dry season rice production in the state.
The farmers made the complaint at Gabari Sahel and Dabi villages in the Ringim local government area, the farmers expressed the urgent need for the government to bring lasting solutions before it is too late.
Speaking on behalf of the farmers at Gabari Sahel, a large-scale farmer, Alhaji Dauda Ali said “I have over 200 hectares of rice farm and about 200 labourers are working 8n the farm daily.”
Ali told the governor Malam Umar Namadi who was in the area on an inspection visit that “many farmers have abandoned their farmland clearance l, planting the rice some had applied fertilizer due to scarcity and higher cost of fuel.”
He said, “Presently I’m spending the sum of five million naira (N5,000,000) every week on fuel for water pump machines spreads in the farm.”
Also speaking another farmer identified as Malam Sunusi Malanjo at Kalgwai said: “Apart from the high cost of fuel, fertilizer price is also another problem. I bought a bag of 50kg of NPK at a cost of N45,000. far bag.”
Malam Sunusi Malanjo called on the governor to come to their aid as many patent farmers had abandoned their farms after spending a lot.
In his response, the Jigawa state governor, Malam Umar Namadi has said this year’s dry season rice production hit 800,000 tonnes.
The governor, therefore, expressed happiness that the 200,000 hectares of rice farms currently being cultivated across the state would no doubt reduce the nation’s food insecurity challenges.
“Today, I think I am one of the happiest people. We have gone around all the rice farms in Jigawa and by our estimation, about 200,000 hectares of rice have been cultivated in the state.
“With these 200,000 hectares, this translates to almost 800,000 tonnes of rice. This 800,000 tonnes of rice is quite huge in Nigeria and therefore by the time we multiply these by the rainy season, we will have an estimate of 1.6 million tonnes of rice. The 1.6 million tonnes of rice is about 27 per cent of Nigeria’s rice requirement.
“If Jigawa can produce 27 per cent of Nigeria’s rice requirement then we are on the right course. Therefore, we will continue to support our farmers. We will continue to encourage them and continue to support the renewed hope agenda, especially as it relates to food security in Nigeria,” the governor said.
Namadi noted that the rice production was the state’s modest contribution to the food security in Nigeria.
He stated, “We will continue to improve and that’s why we are going round to encourage the farmers and understand their problems so that we will be able to deal with these problems.”
He added that the only support given to rice farmers was the fertiliser subsidy given by President Bola Tinubu, adding that the state government must do all it could to multiply its support to the teeming rice farming communities in the state.
The governor didn’t immediately explain his administration’s plans toward tackling the annual flood disaster which for years had been a threat to farmers along river bank communities where the state planned to cultivate rice during dry season in the same areas.
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