Kano govt. spends N4.8 b on rice development projects

The Kano State Government has so far spent more than N4.8 billion on its rice development projects, the Commissioner for Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Alhaji Ibrahim Garba, has said.

Garba, who gave the figure recently  when he visited the Magaga Dam irrigation project in the Kabo Local Government Area (LGA), said the projects were aimed at boosting food security and alleviating poverty in the state.

He, however, said that farmers on whose lands the rice cultivation projects would be executed would not be able to plant crops on their farms this rainy season.

Garba promised that the state government would compensate the affected farmers adequately for the losses they would suffer as a result of the projects and therefore appealed to them to cooperate.
He commended both the contr
actors and consultants handling the irrigation projects for their prompt mobilization to the sites.
The commissioner promised to facilitate the payment of 30 per cent mobilization fees to the contractors to ensure the successful completion of the projects within the 12 months time_frame.

Earlier, Alhaji Mohammed Kura, the Managing Director of the Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, had informed the commissioner that the project in Kabo LGA involved the development of 230 hectares of irrigable land in Gude area.

He said that more than 5,000 farmers would benefit from the all_season irrigation scheme. Kura implored the people of the area to cooperate with those involved in the project to ensure its success.