Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has disclosed that his administration aims to support residents in Dikwa and Ngala to cultivate 200 hectares of land under the rural irrigation project.
Zulum made this known on Friday while speaking to newsmen after the distribution of palliative to over 50,000 vulnerable families in Dikwa town.
“We are here with the agriculture team, we decided to earmark 100 hectares of land to be cultivated under the irrigation scheme in Dikwa, 50 hectares of land in Gajibo and another 50 hectares of land in Gamboru Ngala totalling about 200 hectares,” Zulum said.
The project, which is part of Zulum’s comprehensive agricultural development plan, seeks to revolutionize farming practices, mitigate the effects of climate change and uplift the livelihoods of residents most of whom depend on local farming.
Governor Zulum noted that the investment in the agricultural sector is aimed at empowering residents to have their means of livelihood while reducing dependency on food palliative.
“Continous distribution of palliative is not sustainable, we have to look at medium and longer-term sustainable solutions which for us, is to invest in agriculture, particularly in the irrigation sector,” Zulum said.
The governor added: “We intend to invest in agriculture, especially modern agriculture. Luckily enough for me, my predecessor has procured agricultural equipment. No state in Nigeria has the kind of agricultural equipment we have in Borno. Insha Allah, we will put this equipment to better use and where we don’t have enough, we will add more.”
Zulum emphasized that the irrigation project will involve modern techniques to maximize water usage and minimize wastage, particularly with the impending climate change.