Nigeria to provide farmers in northwest state with subsidies: official
Xinhua, November 3, 2016 Adjust font size:
Nigeria is targeting no fewer than 180,000 wheat and rice farmers with subsidies in the northwest state of Jigawa for the 2016/2017 dry season, an official said Wednesday.
The government would provide seeds, fertilizer and herbicide to the farmers at subsidized rates, Ahmad Labaran, State Director for the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) said in Dutse, the state capital.
According to Labaran, 90,000 farmers were targeted for wheat production which would commence in Nov. 2016, while 90,000 farmers were targeted for rice production in early 2017.
The director added that each farmer would be given three bags of fertilizers - two NPK and one Urea (50 kilograms).
The official said that each farmer would be given 50 kilograms of seeds and two and a half liters of herbicide.
"This is because wheat is cold-loving crop, so it has to be planted between November and December while the rice can be delayed to early 2017," he said.
He said the ATA office would advise the government to reduce the numbers of farmers on wheat and add to those who would cultivate the land for rice. Endit