No less than 1.26 million smallholder farmers in Kano State are set to benefit from the Islamic Development Bank’s $95 million credit facility.
The credit facility, which is tagged Kano Agro-Pastoral Development Project, is part of the initiatives of the state to support small and medium-scale farmers in reaching their full potential.
The project was announced by the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, during a meeting with officials of Africa Consulting and Trading Mission and public sector stakeholders that would benefit from the project.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Nasiru Gawuna, said that efforts had been made to make the project a far-reaching one that would foster economic development and social progress.
He said that although there had been a delay in the take-off of the project as a result of some logistics that needed to be sorted between the Federal Ministry of Finance and IDB . Ganduje said all was sorted and that the funds would soon be made available.
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Ganduje explained that the Kano Agro-Pastoral Development Project is one of his administration’s projects in the state. He also said that he had some projects at Dansoshiya forest through its RUGA Committee, aimed at transforming the forest into a modern grazing reserve, Punch reported.
Why this matters: As stated by the State Project Coordinator, Kano Agro-Pastoral Development Project, Garba Muhammad, the project is important as it will help farmers in capacity building while promoting small rural enterprises in the state. It will also support the development of grazing reserves, stock routes demarcation, crop productivity, livestock enhancement, provision of rural infrastructure.
Boost for Agriculture Sector: The initiative is a welcome development aimed at boosting agribusiness by assisting farmers to make food production run smoothly across the nation.
