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Farmers encouraged to use improved seeds to boost food production

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516The Fadama III National Project Coordinator,  Mr Tayo Adewumni, has advised farmers across the country to use improved seeds to boost production and ensure food security.

Adewunmi made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that the improved seeds had the capacity to double crops annually over a shorter period.

On the extension of the Fadama III project from 2013 to 2017, Adewunmi explained that it was aimed at supporting the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).

“The extension they are giving us now is to support the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

“The additional financing is to encourage more production of all the crops in the value chain; we are talking about rice, cassava, sorghum.

“Once the crops are produced  in large quantities, then they will be able to mop up production.

“The essence of Fadama under additional financing which has been supported by the Federal Government and the World Bank is to encourage our farmers to produce.

“If you are producing one hectare before, you have to increase it to five hectares.’’

According to him, 70,000 youths have benefitted from the Fadama project across the country.

He said the youths were being encouraged to engage in farming to bring about a revolution to the agricultural sector, noting that the present farmers were aging and getting weak.

Adewumni cited Ondo State as an example where Fadama youth village is being established in the 17 local governments of the state in collaboration with the Ondo state government.

He added that 43 percent of Fadama participants were women as they were majorly involved in production and processing of farm produce.

“Our farmers are aging and when the youths are been encouraged, definitely there will be total revolution in the agricultural sector.

“Let me cite Ondo State as an example; right now, we are working hand in hand with the government of  Ondo State; we are having Fadama Youth Villages in all the 17 local governments in ondo state.

“So, Fadama is one of the projects under the Ministry of Agric and we are already supporting the Transformation Agenda by encouraging more youths and women into agriculture.

“Not only into production, into processing and marketing, including value addition, we have statistics of women, men and a number of youths that are benefitting in Fadama.

“I can assure you we have over 70,000 youths that are benefitting in Fadama project across the country.

“When you look at our statistics, we have 43 per cent of women who are participating in Fadama because they are majorly into production and processing’’.

He commended the Minister of Agriculture for the success in the Farmers’ Registration Programme and the awareness it had created.

The national coordinator explained that the awareness had enabled farmers to know where to get improved seeds and seedlings, fertilizers and other agricultural services. (NAN)

 


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