By Wole Mosadomi
The numerous campaigns  against over dependence on the oil sector and subsequent focus  on the non oil sector especially on Agricultural are now gaining ground and yielding positive results across the country.

Yam barn

Niger State with its Vision3: 2020 which is being envisioned to place the state as one of the best economies in the country in the year 2020 has a vital place for agricultural development.

For example in Niger State, the state government has a vision and mission of becoming one of the best economies in the country in the year 2020 tagged vision 3:2020 with adequate attention on agriculture as a means of actualizing the dream.
It has thus taken steps toward boosting food production in the state by purchasing tractors which have since been distributed to farmers through their cooperative societies in the state. Another set of tractors is still being expected.
While doing this, it has also carried out an intensive survey on some foodstuffs on which it can exploit and produce massively for both internal consumption and export.

Already, the state has identified 3,129 rice farmer groups and which have already been clustered into 418 unions and thus provided comprehensive agric-support services and input by government.

Still on rice, the state government which has been adjudged as the highest rice producer in the country has gone into partnership with a foreign farm to resuscitate the Badeggi rice mill, provided  a piece of land in Bida town which is just a stone throw to Badeggi for the establishment of a paddy rice processing mill under a Technical assistance by the Korean government under the auspices of the National Food Revenue Agency.

The Chief Representative of Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) in Africa, Mr. Sumi Yoshitaka could not hide his feelings during a workshop in Minna recently on quality rice production and processing that when he said Niger state has been earmarked to lead rice production in Nigeria, adding that if it maintains its present efforts, it could also serve as the leading rice producer and headquarters in Africa.

The state is also a leading producer in other crops like Yam, Cassava, Shea butter, Millet among others.
Though these crops are massively produced in the state, no individual or government had ever looked inward into seeing these crops as a high revenue earner or as export cash crops.

Just last week in Minna, the state capital, the Nigeria Export promotion council in collaboration with Niger state commodity and Export promotion Agency organized a one_day sensitization workshop on production, preservation and Exportation of yams during which large scale yam farmers across the state were in attendance.
The theme was “to Harness the Export Potentials of Yams in Niger State for Rural Economic Development.”

The state commissioner for investment, commerce and comparatives, Malam Muhammed Chika  in his address said statistics just released has shown that 50m tubers of yams are produced globally in a year out of which 5m or 10% of the total production are produced from Niger state alone.

In his speech read on his behalf by Director General, Niger state commodity and Export promotion Agency, Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed Kontagora, the commissioner noted that most of the tubers are exported to some of the African states and even out of the continent thus enriching the exporters but unfortunately impoverishing the large scale producers.

“Our aim therefore is to mobilize and sensitize our yam growers in the state that they need to do more and go into cooperatives and produce the “Improved varieties” approved for export so as to become foreign earners,” the commissioner remarked.

According to him, “we are the people working but some people are reaping seriously from our sweat because these yams are being transported to as far as America by some buyers informally and that is why we want to educate and sensitize you on how we can formalize this product for export and improve our revenue base.”

Guest speaker at the workshop, Mr. S.B Auta, zonal controller Nigeria Export Promotion Council told the farmers on the need for them to take the bull by the horn by growing more yams both for internal and export.

He cited the example of Malaysia which some few years ago was in  Nigeria for  palm kernel seeds to plant but which as at today has become a major palm oil producer in the world with Nigeria shamelessly importing palm oil from the country.

In an interview, the Niger state Director General, commodity and Export promotion Agencies, Alhaji Ahmed Kontagora said unknowingly, most of the tubers produced in Nigeria are not marketable abroad and thus rejected because they are not the approved varieties.