Jigawa perfects modalities to reactivate groundnut farming

The Jigawa State Government has started working on modalities to reactivate groundnut farming in commercial quantities by introducing high-yield aflatoxin-free groundnut seeds for farmers.

This was made known at the weekend when the Deputy Governor, Barrister Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, received IITA/ Chemonics Groundnut Aflatoxin Eradication Initiative and Roshan Tated of Olam Nigeria Limited delegation in his office in Dutse.

In his address, the leader of the delegation, Peter Okomoh, said they were in the state to finalize on Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) between their consortium and the Jigawa State Government for aflatoxinfree groundnut production.

He explained that when the deal was finally sealed, the commercial production of high-yield aflatoxin free groundnut farming would be introduced in the state, saying the objective was to start production that would meet not only the local consumption requirements but also for export.

Okomoh stressed that under the new arrangement, farmers would be provided with high quality seeds.

“Jigawa is the first state to benefit from the intervention because of its pioneering effort to reposition the state in groundnut production. Jigawa is the major groundnut producer with 3,000 hectares cultivated in the 2016 under its cluster programme. We commend the cluster farming arrangement of the state which created an enabling environment for our intervention,” he said.

Responding, the deputy governor Hadejia assured them of the government’s commitment to using agriculture as a springboard for taking the state to lofty heights, adding that the focus was to reincarnate the famous Kano groundnut pyramids in the state.