Kebbi State supplies farmers 25 tractors to boost cassava production

As part of efforts to boost cassava production,  Kebbi State government has supplied 25 tractors to cassava farmers in the state.

Mr Joel Aiki, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture made this known in Birnin Kebbi on Saturday on the side-line of a capacity building workshop for northwest cassava farmers.

“We have five agricultural zones in the state and we have distributed a number of tractors to each zone but these 25 tractors are solely for cassava production,” Aiki said.

He said that Kebbi State was championing the development of cassava value chain and had been engaging with NNPC to establish an ethanol factory in the state.

“Currently, we have more than 3,000 hectares of cassava plantation and we have 15,000 more hectares to be brought under cultivation for the ethanol project,” he said.

Aiki noted that Kebbi State had played a critical role in facilitating rice production in Nigeria which enabled the country to meet more than 70 per cent of its rice demand.

The workshop, organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has “Capacity building of youth and women farmers to address yield gap” as its theme.