The Sokoto State Government said on Monday that it has invested more than N20 billion to boost the agriculture sector of the state in the last seven years.
Alhaji Arzika Tureta, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto.
Tureta said that more than N2 billion was expended on the construction of permanent site of the state College of Agriculture in Wurno.
He explained that the college was expected to produce the manpower needed to modernise the sector for optimal realisation of goals.
According to him, about N1.7 billion was spent yearly on the procurement and distribution of assorted fertiliser to genuine farmers across the state.
The commissioner also revealed that N950 million was used to procure and distribute 150 tractors to small, medium and large scale farmers on soft loan.
He assured that the state government would continue to accord priority attention to agriculture in order to tap and utilise the vast land available to produce various crops for local consumption and export.
Tureta said that various water pumping machines were also purchased and distributed to different farmer groups across the state to boost irrigation activities in the state.
Increased poultry production will demand more grains, says association The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has said that the Nigerian livestock industry depended on grains, hence, an increase in poultry production would demand increased grains production.
The National President of the association, Dr Ayoola Oduntan, said this in a press statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos.
The statement said grains production was not increasing at the same pace with the growth in the poultry industry.
It also said that food production had not measured up with the rapid population growth, resulting in the hike of food and feed prices.
“The Nigerian livestock industry mostly depends on the grains produced within the country augmented by some importation.
“Increased poultry production will demand more grains; the grain production is not going up at the same pace as poultry.
“This is of great concern to the poultry industry in Nigeria.
“Food production has failed to keep pace with Nigeria’s rapid population growth, hence food and feed prices are constantly rising.
“The prices of maize doubled during the last decade, encouraging maize production in Nigeria,’’ the statement said.
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