Agriculture

THE Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Kaduna Consortium Project, on Monday in Zaria, distributed sets of water pumps and accessories to selected farmers in Kaduna state.

Presenting the pumps to the farmers, Dr Esther Ibrahim, the AGRA State Program Officer, said that the objective of the initiative was to improve dry season tomato production.

Ibrahim also said that the gesture  was to enhance farmers’ resilience, efficiency, and create avenues for generating supplementary income.

Meanwhile, Prof. Chris Daudu, Lead Researcher of the project disclosed that about 200 cooperative members were projected to benefit and become well-equipped to exploit business opportunities from the scheme.

According to him, the water pumps are projected to be used for 36 hours a week, with a 12.24 hour’s operation model adopted for the farms

He added that the pumps would also be for rental services thereby augment dry season tomato production for the next three months of the remaining dry season

The event, held at the National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS), ABU Zaria, equipped participants with the skills of water pump calibration, maintenance, operation and management demonstrations.

Prof. Emmanuel Ikani, the Executive Director of NAERLS, said that the distribution of water pumps represented a significant effort aimed at empowering small-scale farmers and enhancing their productivity.

Ikani said the initiative was anticipated to bring about favorable outcomes for the livelihoods of the recipients and their local communities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Kaduna State Consortium Project, with support from the Alliance for A Green Revolution in Africa, Distributed the Water Pumps to Dry Season Tomato Farmers from Kudan, Zaria and Sabon Gari Local Governments Areas.

-(NAN)

KN

Tags: Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa Esther Ibrahim Prof. Chris Daudu