Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has approved the allocation of 10,000 hectares of land to the management of AITEO Energy Resources Company for the take-off of rice production in the state.
According to a statement released, the aim is to boost rice production and improve the economic future of Kebbi State, it also stated that a delegation of the company, led by Alhaji Abubakar Tambuwal, had talks with Governor Bagudu and assured him of their willingness to cultivate 10,000 hectares of land in the state.
Tambuwal promised that the company would open an office next week in Birnin Kebbi, adding that the recruitment of staff would soon commence.
“We will also commence the cultivation of rice and processing and sale of milled rice in the state,” the statement quoted Tambuwal as saying.
The state chairman of Agro and Inputs Dealers Association of Kebbi State, Alhaji Alhasssan Usman Shiroro commended the initiatives adopted by the Kebbi State Government to prioritise and revamp the agriculture sector.
He added that the efforts of Governor Bagudu in providing farming tools and fertiliser to the farmers in the state will go a long way in achieving food security and employment to the youths.
“He gave us fertilizers at a subsidized rate; he provided some needed chemicals and also, at the wake of the fuel scarcity, made the commodity available to us,” Shiroro said.
The chairman also opined that arrangements have been concluded with their members from various parts of the country to come out with a blueprint in ensuring the sustainability of agriculture in Nigeria and support President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policy on diversification. Subsequently, he appealed to the Federal Government to revisit and consider the payment of the N50 billion debt on the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) which was initiated by the immediate past administration.
