Rice pyramids replace erstwhile Kano groundnut pyramids
got from the USAID sponsored programme.
“My farm output has doubled, and unlike before when we looked for market, now we have a ready market for our paddy. And they are paying us cash, which is why we no longer have glut of paddy in Kura,” he said.
A leader of the female farmers in the area, Halima Danjuma, said the training has encouraged many women in her community to take to rice farming.
“The population of female rice farmers has increased as our profit keeps increasing by the day, many women are being encouraged to take to rice farming,” she said.
Apparently impressed with the output from the farmers, the US envoy urged the Nigerian government to work hard towards the revival of the agricultural sector for the sustenance of the country’s economy.
With little push, he said the country can meet its food requirement, saying, “the real future of the Nigerian economy lies in the processed agricultural goods, someday the petroleum will come to an end and what will you do then? Processed agricultural goods are the way out and this is a perfect example.
“I’m surprised that the country still imports food products because it could be the food basket of the rest of African countries, looking at the enormous agricultural resources on ground,” he said.
Speaking on the envoy’s visit, the chairman of Umza rice mill, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, said the training of the farmers by the US organisation has doubled the output of rice farmers in the area .
With adequate support, he said the country can meet its rice requirement and possibly export.
Responding to the envoy’s enquiry, Abubakar said the N200bn credit facility provided for farmers by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has stabilised and enhanced farming in the country.
The envoy expressed shock