The Federal Government through the National Agricultural Development Fund, NADF, has provided agricultural inputs as a form of intervention to smallholder ginger farmers in Kaduna State following the effect of ginger blight disease on their farms across seven local government areas.
About 5,000 smallholder farmers made losses during the 2023 farming season due to the effect of ginger blight disease on their farms.
The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Development Fund, Muhammad Abu Ibrahim, made the disclosure at the flag-off ceremony held in Kachia on Tuesday, saying that the intervention is the first phase of the input distribution programme of NADF under The Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment.
He explained that the programme is designed to provide agricultural inputs as a form of support to smallholder ginger farmers by the Federal Government.
According to him: “The programme will enable the affected farmers practice crop rotation on their farms affected by the ginger blight disease while also supporting them towards improved livelihoods from the economic losses they incurred due to the impact of the disease.”
The NADF boss added: “NADF will further support the crop production process by providing Monitoring and Evaluation services, good agronomic practices and market linkages for the farmers while also developing programmes to strengthen and develop the entire ginger value chain.”
While flagging off the distribution exercise, Kaduna State Governor, Sen Uba Sani, represented by the Deputy Governor Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, said that the state government remains resolute to continue to provide support to smallholder farmers as a strategy against poverty and “boost the economic fortunes of our people.”
The governor commended the Federal Government for the consistent and continuous support to the state government and promised to continue to work closely with the Federal Government and other key stakeholders for the benefit of the people of state.
He also appreciated the swift intervention being implemented particularly the establishment of the National Ginger Blight Epidemic Taskforce to comprehensively address the issues arising from the huge loss suffered by our ginger farmers.
According to NADF, the intervention programme in the first phase will provide inputs that included maize and sorghum seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals and crop protection products to 5000 registered and validated smallholder ginger farmers across the seven affected local government areas of Kachia, Zango-Kataf, Kaura, Kagarko, Jema’a, Jabba and Sanga in Kaduna State.
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