FG gives free tomato seeds to Kaduna farmers
The federal government in collaboration with Kaduna State Agricultural Development Project (KADP) on Tuesday shared UC-82 tomato seeds to farmers in Maigana, Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Representative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Isiyaku Tijjani, said the distribution exercise is aimed at improving irrigation farming in Kaduna State and Nigeria in general in order to make the country self-sufficient in tomato production.
Alhaji Tijjani said the federal government is committed to transforming the agricultural sector, as farming is the profession practiced by most Nigerians.
But an agriculturalist and major tomato farmer, Alhaji Sani Ibrahim said what tomato farmers require in the country is hybrid tomato PROC GEM PRIDE seed and not UC-82 variety that is outdated.
“Tomato farmers all over the world have stopped using UC-82 because of its very low quality. It has a lot of water and its products are not needed by tomato processing companies. Our farmers should be given hybrid seeds and not seeds that the world has since rejected and stopped using,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the KADP, the Maigana Zonal Manager, Alhaji Muhammad Kabir Awai, said Kaduna State would soon revive its Ikara tomato factory.
“This is to give opportunity to our farmers for them to have value for their tomato production. If the factory is revived it has the capacity to buy the tomatoes that would be produced by our farmers at good price. This would improve the wellbeing of our farmers and it would enhance their capacity and economic status,” Alhaji Awai said.