Bauchi State Government on Tuesday distributed 500 tractors and other farm inputs to farmers in the state for 2018 farming season.

Handing over the items to groups and individual farmers, Gov. Muhammed Abubakar of the state also announced a subsidy of 40 per cent of the cost of each of the items while the beneficiaries are to pay the balance of 60 per cent.

He said that 40,000 farmers were expected to benefit from the gesture initiated by the state government to boost food production in the state.

Abubakar recalled that the state government had earlier procured and distributed 20,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to farmers this year.

The governor urged the beneficiaries to judiciously utilise the items and warned them against selling same.

Speaking at the occasion, the Lead Consultant of the Agricultural Inputs, Abdulmalik Nura, listed the items as tractors, power tillers, rice slashers, weed slashers and planters.

According to him, others are fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, rice milling machines, multipurpose threshers, battery cages and fish feeds millers.

He said that 100 motorcycles would also be distributed to extension workers to support the farmers in the state.

Nura said the objective of the gesture was to enable the state become one of five top food producing states in the country in the next four years.

He explained that three groups,made up of 30 people, would be allocated 30 hectares of farmland each as production clusters.

The consultant said that it is estimated that the average yield per hectare would reach between eight tonnes and 10 tonnes per hectare for maize and rice.

He said that the programme would enable participating farmers have access to loans, create 194, 040 rural jobs, reduce poverty and ensure food security.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/bauchi-distributes-500-tractors-inputs.html

Where pics to support?