The Kebbi State Government has flagged off the sale of 100,000 tonnes of fertiliser for 2017 dry season farming. Gov. Atiku Bagudu said this in Jega in Kebbi on Tuesday while flagging off the sale of the fertiliser.He, however, did not disclose the cost of the commodity. “We have procured 100,000 tonnes of fertiliser which is equivalent to two million bags of the commodity for sale at subsidised rate to our farmers. “This dry season, our farmers will purchase the commodity at N5,500 per bag. Gov. Bagudu “The sale has commenced in
all the 21 local government areas of the state, ‘’ the governor said. Bagudu said the commodity would be made accessible and available to farmers at a more affordable price. “We want fertiliser to be available to the extent that we do not henceforth require to flag off its sale, sequel to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and Morocco for the procurement of 1 million tonnes of fertiliser,’’ he said. The governor also advised farmers to pay back agricultural loans they received so that others who did not receive the loan in the past, could benefit. Bagudu said he would continue to assist farmers with loans and interventions to strengthen the dependence agriculture and boost rice production in the state. He announced an assistance of N20 million to a 20-year-old local engineer, Bello Umar from Jega, who created prototypes of an excavator and a water pumping machine to boost his engineering work. “We will attach the boy to a committee of designers under the chairmanship of the Deputy Governor, Sama’ila Yombe. “This is to assist him to make his creativity and products realistic and come out for commercial world,’’ he said. In his remark, the District Head of Jega, Alhaji Muhammadu Bawa, commended the state government for subsidising the fertiliser to farmers in the state. He advised the people to engage in farming and business ventures to compliment the efforts of government in reducing the level of unemployment in the state.