Niger State governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has disclosed that the state government has allocated 20,000 hectares of land to upscale sugar production.
Governor Bago stated this when he received the chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria and other foreign investors from Brazil, the United States, and South Africa. They were in Minna for an overview of agricultural activities in the State and to collaborate with the government.
The investors were taken to Tagwai Dam and the Tagwai feedlots, where farmer Umaru Bago disclosed his administration’s plans to expand sugar and crop production to meet the nation’s feeding target.
He said the collaboration with the investors will change the entire landscape of agriculture in Nigeria, as the state is focused on understanding the value chain in agriculture.
Bago also disclosed plans to increase seed production, admitting that one of the significant challenges in Nigeria was that farmers did not usually have the right seeds for production.
He equally expressed optimism that collaboration, especially with the Brazilians, will develop a lot of animal pasture that will be used to feed the livestock and change their genetics for quality milk production. At the same time, abattoirs will transition from packaging blood meat to frozen meat.
He again reiterated his administration’s commitment to collaborating with development partners. The state is willing to use its vast natural resources, including its water bodies and earth dams, to provide water needed for all-year-round production.
In his remarks, Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria, Mr John Coumantaros, described Governor Umaru Bago as a visionary leader who has transitioned the agro industry in Nigeria.
He said the collaboration with the Niger State government will also transform the livelihoods of farmers through various agriculture programs. The partnership will help reshape the state’s sugar and seed production ecosystem, which will be evenly distributed to farmers.
