Ibrahim Ibrahim
The Jigawa State Government has called on residents to report any agro-dealer or individual attempting to sabotage its 2025 dry season rice farming program.
The Technical Advisor to the Governor, Dr. Saifullahi Umar, made the call while addressing journalists in his office.
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He explained that the initiative is part of the 2025 dry season rice farming project, a component of the broader Jigawa Rice Value Chain Development Program aimed at scaling up rice production in the state.
Dr. Saifullahi noted that Jigawa is the second-largest rice-producing state in Nigeria, with an annual output of about two million metric tons from both dry and wet season farming.
This year, the state government plans to boost production through a “Catalyst Package” targeting 58,000 farmers.
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He further explained that the farmers fall into different categories, with support packages varying based on land size ranging from 0.5 hectares to five hectares.
According to him, about 50,000 of the beneficiaries are smallholder farmers cultivating between 0.5 and 1 hectare, while approximately 8,500 are cultivating between 2 and 5 hectares.
Overall, more than 80% of the beneficiaries are smallholders who will enjoy subsidies ranging from 20% to 30%, while large-scale farmers will receive a 10% subsidy.
Regarding the input packages, Dr. Saifullahi stated that a farmer cultivating one hectare will receive: 50kg of Faro 44 rice seed, Four bags of NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer, Three bags of urea, One liter each of insecticide and fungicide and Two liters each of pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides while for farmers cultivating 0.5 hectares will receive half of the above package.
While reacting on alleged activities of some Agro dealers and racketeers Dr. Saifullahi emphasized that the state government has put strong mechanisms in place to ensure that only genuine farmers benefit from the program.
He urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any individual or group attempting to defraud farmers or undermine the government’s efforts.