The North East Development Commission (NEDC); has distributed 29
tractors, land tillers and other farm implements to raise farmers’
productivity and incomes.
The distribution of tractors and other farm inputs, is implemented
under Commission’s Integrated Agricultural Programme (IGAP) in the
northeast.
While distributing farm inputs Wednesday in Gombe; NEDC’s Managing
Director, Mohammed Alkali said that engagement of farmers; with modern
tractors and other farm implements, could eased the tilling of many
hectres of farmlands to raise productivity and incomes.
According to him, the Commission had intervened in providing adequate
infrastructure, processing agricultural produce, healthcare, education
and empowerment of farmers.
The over a decade Boko Haram insurgency, has claimed 36,000 lives with
property worth about N3.42 trillion in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
He said: “Over 95% of Northeast depend on agriculture. We have
designed an integrated Agric. programme so that people will go back to
the farm in more organized and driven way.
“The distributed tractors; are assembled in Gombe by the local people
who were trained to do the job. We’ll also be there to train others to
know how to assemble tractors and other farm implements.”
He added that the Commission had put in place plans to ensure the
sustainability of tractors and farm implements by establish servicing
centres.
According to him, the serve centres, are for the repairs of tractors
in an event of any breakdown.
“We don’t want a situation whereby tractors will be abandoned, simply
it broke down and there is nobody to repair or service it,” he noted,
adding that farmers will also be empowered through training on modern
farming techniques.
He said the implementation of IGAP, is as a major tool toward ensuring
increased productivity and farmers’ incomes.
On challenges of programme, he said: “Our main challenge; was how to
fully engage and empower youths who form a larger population,” stating
that there is no state in sub-region, where youths are fully engaged
in productive activities.
“We know ICT is key and we have in Gombe a centre where the youth can
be trained in various activities like Computer graphics and mobile
phones repair,” he said; adding that plans were underway to train 1,
000 to 2,000 women and youths in computers and phones repairs as well
as computer graphics.
