Beneficiaries of Senator Sunday Marshall Katung’s dry season farming intervention programme in Kaura local government area of Kaduna State have expressed excitement after a bumper harvest of their tomato and pepper crops.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Jonathan Luka, recounted that before the support from the senator, he had almost given up on dry season farming due to lack of resources.
He explained that before receiving a water pumping machine, he used to harvest between 10 and 15 baskets of tomatoes during the dry season but with the intervention, he has already harvested more than 50 baskets with more yet to be harvested.
“I used to depend more on the rainy season to farm, which meant long months of waiting with little to feed my children.
Now, I have planted tomatoes and sugarcane, and I am harvesting and still expecting more harvest. This means more food for my family and extra income to send my children to school,” he said.
He thanked Senator Katung for providing him and many other farmers with water pumps, enabling them to expand their farms and increase their yields.
Another beneficiary, Mr Nathan Thomas Yashim, said that over the past four months, he has consistently harvested between 10 and 12 bags of pepper weekly as a result of the intervention.
In addition to his pepper harvest, he said he also produced over 150 bags of sweet potatoes, a significant boost compared to previous years.
“Before now, we had to buy vegetables from neighbouring states during the dry season at high prices. But now, we are growing them right here and even selling to other communities,” Yashim stated.
He urged other youths to take advantage of dry season farming, emphasising its profitability and potentials to boost the socio-economic growth of the area.
Speaking on the intervention, Senator Katung commended the farmers for utilising the support judiciously and pledged more support.
After inspecting some farms in Kaura LGA, he expressed joy that the beneficiaries were effectively using the farming equipment to improve their agricultural output.
He explained that the programme, designed to enhance food production and economic stability, has not only revitalised individual farms but has also breathed new life into entire communities in Kaura.
The Senator further pledged to extend the initiative to more communities within his constituency, stating that the impact of the programme would go beyond farming to creating a pathway for self-reliance and food security in the region.
It could be recalled that Senator Katung had in November, 2024 distributed water pumping machines to irrigation farmers in the local government.
