Livestock Devt: Jigawa To Allocate 100,000 Hectares For Grass Production

Jigawa State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium of investors for the large-scale production of alfalfa grass (a nutritious animal feeds) as part of a strategic move to reposition the state’s livestock production sector.

After signing the MoU, Governor Malam Umar Namadi stated that agriculture is one of the major areas in which the state holds a comparative economic advantage and emphasised the state’s commitment to collaborating with partners to develop the sector.

Governor Namadi noted that over 75% of the state’s population depends on agriculture as their main source of livelihood, therefore, no meaningful development can be achieved in Jigawa without giving adequate priority to the sector.

He added that reforms initiated in crop production have already begun yielding fruitful results, as Jigawa is now second in rice production and first in wheat production in Nigeria.

“However, livestock production is also an area we are working to reform through various initiatives, this includes creating a Ministry for Livestock to manage policy implementation and signing MoUs with public and private agencies within and outside the country to achieve the desired goals.

“When Matura Farm started it’s pilots project, many people doubted it was possible.

Today, they are producing some of the highest-quality alfalfa in the world. We are optimistic that the memorandum we have signed will be a game changer in animal feed production and livestock development in our state,” Governor Namadi stated.

The governor also reiterated his administration’s commitment to the MoU, including the allocation of 100,000 hectares of land and other responsibilities necessary to achieve the desired goals.

In his remarks, the director general of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, stated that the project aligns directly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s priority agenda on food security and expanded agricultural production,  and assured that the initiative will commence immediately.

“Priority number two of the President’s agenda focuses on boosting agriculture to achieve food security. The investment-friendly climate in Jigawa is one of the key reasons we are bringing this project here.”

Shedding more light on the MoU, the state commissioner for Livestock Development, Professor Salim Mohammed, described alfalfa as a transformative high-protein forage crop used for animal feed. He maintained that it is capable of boosting livestock productivity, generating mass employment, and expanding export revenues.

The MoU was signed  during a visit by a high-level delegation led by Kashifu Inuwa, the director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency. Other delegates included the managing director of NEXIM Bank, Mr. Abubakar Abba Bello; the managing director of MOFI, Dr. Armstrong Takang; the managing director of Jaiz Bank, Mr. Haruna Musa; and several private-sector partners such as Capemano, Alami Capital, EL-Meena Farms, and Matura Farm, as well as representatives of NSIA and other key institutions.