From Abubakar Abdullahi, in Lafia
The Nasarawa state government has commenced harvest of 10,000 hectares of rice farm in Awe Local Government Area of the State.
Governor Abdullahi Sule of the state made this known shortly after inspecting the commencement of the rice harvest in Jangwa village of Ribi District of Awe LGA.
Governor Sule said the rice farm project by the state government followed the identification of about 10,000 hectares of land and decided to plant rice seed in the 2,000 hectares before going forward.
He explained that the rice to harvested has been planted 6 months ago and matured less than 6 months.
“This is just less than 6 months ago but because of the type of seeds planted it actually matured less than 6 months that is why today you can see we’re harvesting.”
“The meaning of this is that we’re going to have 2 harvests every year by the grace of God.”
Governor Sule acknowledged that in two days, only 14 hectares are harvested using about 3 harvesters hence the need for additional 2 harvesters to be able to finish harvesting the 20,000 hecters.
He about 200 jumbo bags was realized from the harvested 14 hecters so far done.
Governor Sule asserted that Nasarawa state is not only known as solid minerals environment but also agriculture and the state must tailor it’s direction towards it.
“Everytime we speak about Nasarawa we said we’re the home of solid minerals and agriculture and in reality government has to take the leadership a show the direction of the agriculture and the reason why we decided that in order to be part of food security of the renewed hope of President Tinubu as government we have to set example and show the the way.”
Governor Sule maintained that there is no dispute on the cultivated land because the total area of the land belong to government.
Even though, according to him about 300 hecters of the land is occupied by some people who already planted economic trees, buids houses as well as carrying out activities that includes farming and the farming activities of government has not reached to the area of the farm inhabitants.
He said ” it is used to be all government land but since government was not farming some people moved into and started working in the area.”
“You know they’re our people we come and just eject them like that, so we leave them to be carrying out their own farming activities in those areas.”
He said government deliberately refused to farm beyond the the 2000 hecters is that we’re planing a kind of compensations in the additional area so that whatever we’re doing we still leave a little bit area for the inhabitants to engage in their own farming and other activities.
Governor Sule also commended people of the state particularly Jangwa Community for their cooperation on the realization of the rice farm project.
