Food Security: Nasarawa Moves To Establish Mini Dams

Nasarawa State government has unveiled plans to establish mini dams to enable year-round farming and boost food production.

The commissioner for Agriculture, Umar Tanko Tunga, disclosed this yesterday during a ministerial briefing organised by the state Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Lafia.

He said the mini dams would be constructed in designated locations to support irrigation farming.

Tunga noted that the initiative would not only boost food production but also productively engage youths and women.

He added that the Federal Government had earlier approved the construction of two dams in Lafia and Tide, as well as the completion of the Farin Ruwa project for hydropower generation, irrigation and water supply. The proposed mini dams, he said, would complement the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure food security.

The commissioner stressed that Governor Abdullahi Sule’s administration had made significant strides in the agriculture sector, attracting massive investments from both domestic and foreign investors.

He cited the 10,000-hectare Jangwa/Agwatashi rice farm as the largest public-private sector investment in agriculture in the North Central zone.

The initiative, he said, has empowered many women and youths across the rice value chain while enhancing their capacity in mechanised farming.

Tunga also revealed that the administration’s investor-friendly policy led to the establishment of a 10,000-hectare integrated Cassava Industrial City (SCIC) by Sequoia Holdings Ltd in Kokona Local Government Area.