Special Report:
Ganduje’s Giant Strides in Agriculture

Agriculture which have been the mainstay of the economy of the nation prior to the discovery of Oil is fast regaining its rightful position with Kano state taking a bold initiative to that effect


For years now, the issue of diversification from Oil as the main source of revenue has been the challenge of both the federal and state governments, but the aspect of taking the bull by the horn towards implementation has been an uphill task to them.

As the allocation from the Federal government no longer commensurate with expenses by the state to meet up with the task of delivering democracy dividends to their people, it have become necessary for most state governors to start thinking out of the box for survival. This obvious situation has propelled Kano state in taking the lead towards repositioning their source of revenue to agriculture.

Equally, at the inception of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in 2015, the price of oil at the international market dropped so heavily that the economy was forced into dangerous recession with both Federal and state governments battling to survive. This development prompted the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to create a diversification policy that embraced agriculture as a viable means to not only stabilize the economy, but also ensure that Nigerians are able to have food on their table. Though many state governments could not see the fortunes in direct investment in agriculture, but in Kano, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje speedily key into the President Buhari’s diversification policy in agriculture. Ganduje fold his sleeves, got the tools and headed to the farm. It has paid off for Ganduje as he has continued to celebrate bumper harvests in major staple foods like wheat and rice, making Kano exceptional in agricultural production.

During his first four years in office, Governor Ganduje has recorded so many achievements in agricultural development in the state. The governor has invested so much in that area by sponsoring 100 pastoralists to learn artificial insemination in Turkey, the first of its kind in the state, also his government has invested heavily in dry season wheat farming and rice farming. The governor also assured the people that his government will treat agriculture as a top priority and with all the seriousness it deserves.

In order to enhance the capacity of farmers, the state Government employed additional 742 extension workers to train farmers in modern farming practices with the aim of increasing crop yields and weaning them from the age-old subsistence farming that is in most cases not productive. Equally, the government resuscitated Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO) that had been dormant for many years to the extent that the company has been contracted by the federal Government to produce assorted fertilizer for sale to farmers in the country. To boost production by farmers, the state government procured and distributed 114,520 metric tons of fertilizer to 484 wards across the state at subsidized rate, procurement, storage and maintenance of assorted grains as buffer reserves, agricultural Micro Credit Facilities for Medium and Small Scale Agriculture Businesses; established two Artificial Insemination Centres at Kadawa and Dambatta; and commissioning of Artificial Insemination Centre at Tukwui in Makoda local government area.

As a leading state in the production of wheat, the state government provided interest-free loan of N100 million to wheat farmers for the purchase of improved seeds; employed 781 Agricultural Extension agents to assist farmers on mass production and each was given a motorcycle. The Administration of Governor Ganduje also subsidized the cost of fertilizer for 2015 wet farming season to about N600 million and procured and distributed 5, 000 water pump machines to farmers free of charge as well as processed a N1billion loan for farmers to boost rice production. In the early 2016, for five days, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh left the comfort of his office in Abuja and relocated to Kano where he almost travelled round the 44 Local Government Areas of the state, inspecting and visiting various agricultural projects in the ancient city. Audu Ogbeh’s official visit which coincided with the 44th National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development Conference held in Kano was wrapped up on Friday, February 12, 2016. However, in as much as, the Minister’s working visit was that of assessment, he was impressed with what he saw on ground and he also agreed that since Kano is doing so much on agriculture, there was need to assist the government and people of the state, as he pointed out that agriculture is the only solution that can bail out Nigeria from the present economic woes.

As part of his visit, the former Minister launched the drilling of 1,000 boreholes across 24 local government areas of Kano state, as part of initiatives by the state government to encourage farmers to produce more wheat under its commercial agriculture programme. He declared Federal Government’s intention to stop importation of wheat, rice and other food stuff as part of its resolve to exploit the country’s huge potentials in the agricultural sector, against the background of the gradual collapse of the oil sector. Commissioning the boreholes at Alkamawa in Bunkure local government area, Chief Ogbeh said that with what he saw on ground in terms of commitment of the farmers and the political will of the state government, the agricultural revolution has commenced from Kano state.

“I am personally excited by what I have seen here. I think the revolution in agriculture has started, and I am looking forward to the day when Nigeria would begin selling wheat and not importing wheat,” the minister stated. He assured that the Federal government would assist farmers and entrepreneurs in the value chain of rice, wheat and other commodities so that they would grow from subsistence to commercial production levels. The Minister, therefore, charged farmers in Kano to produce wheat as much as they can because Nigeria has the potential to become a net exporter of the commodity, saying the time for farmers to be legitimately rich has come. He assured that harvesting tractors would be supplied to farmers in the country at subsidized rates, as part of efforts to fast track mechanization and commended the Kano state government for its commitment to agricultural productivity, appealing to other states to emulate the good model.

Ogbeh, however, declared that considering the sorry state of Nigeria’s economy, the only remedy is to invest hugely in agriculture so as to create more employment, encourage self-reliance and guarantee food security, calling on state governors to show more interest in the agricultural sector so as to boost food production and create employment opportunities.

According to him, the only way to bail Nigeria from its current economic disaster occasioned by the dwindling crude oil price in the international market is to go back to the good old days when agriculture formed the mainstream of the country’s foreign exchange.

The former minister lauded Kano state government for its various initiatives in developing agriculture, particularly in the area of irrigation and dry season farming, urging other states to borrow a leaf from the Kano example. In as much as he encouraged individuals to go into large-scale farming, Ogbeh also disclosed Federal Government’s desire to support small-scale farmers, while promising that very soon, the government would ensure that locally produced rice will compete with others sold in the international market.

“In Kano I see green everywhere. All year round farming is the in-thing. So, I commend the state government for its effort so far. I urge Kano to fire on. Food industry is the biggest industry in Africa. This is time for farmers to be legitimately rich and lead the economy of Nigeria,” he stated. He however commended the state governor for his pragmatic approach to irrigation, saying, “I want to say to you, what I have seen here, the way you were engaging youths and women, the way your government is giving the support, giving almost free credit, giving water pump, constructing wells and bringing mercenaries; it would not be too long when the rest part of the country would come here to learn to see how agriculture is doing in a modern way.” Ogbeh noted that, “Kano right now is a leader in agricultural development, nobody can march what Kano is doing in irrigation and I have reason to believe that very soon, the revenue to generate from agriculture here will be so high that if a trillion is generated around here, I will not be surprised.”

During his speech, Governor Ganduje said, “I will not like to talk too much on our efforts in agriculture, but what I will like to tell you is that we are taking advantage of the calamity that has just happened to the country on the unfortunate situation that is happening to our oil, to boost agriculture.” Ganduje said his administration is determined to ensure all year round farming; pointing out that this prompted the government to drill 1,000 boreholes under a programme tagged “Drive Away Dry Season. The state’s agricultural policy provide necessary impetus aimed at facilitating increased agricultural output and employment generation to the teeming populace under the newly introduced concept of developing commercial agriculture”, the governor maintained. The governor said his administration had recently provided 5, 000 water pumping machines to irrigation farmers in the state for free, urging irrigation farming communities in Kano to embrace commercial agriculture for the overall good of the state.

During the Kano Wheat Harvest Ceremony of 2017 in Garun Baba village, Chief Ogbeh and his entourage from Abuja were mesmerized by what they saw on ground; hardworking farmers who did not betray the trust and goodwill invested on them by Governor Ganduje’s administration which worked hard to provide all the needed facilities for the wheat farmers to witness bumper harvest. In Garun Baba, there was wheat everywhere, and Governor Ganduje, elated as he was, declared that his government was going to incarnate ‘Kano Wheat Pyramid,’ a replica of the historic ‘Groundnut Pyramid.’ Ogbeh, while addressing wheat farmers and other stakeholders at Garun Baba wheat Village said the policy option has created wealth for the Nigerian farmers and those in the farm produce value chain. According to him, “the Rice you grow, the wheat you grow is saving Nigeria a lot of money. Before now we were spending N5 billion a day importing Rice from Thailand. Now that money is in the hands and pocket of farmers in Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi and other parts of the country, we don’t spend such amount anymore. “This is why farmers are getting richer. Before now, the money was going to some other places and the poverty was coming here, that era is gone. The figure represents the amount of money being spent on the importation of those farm produce before the ban on food importation and tariff increase policies were introduced about a year ago by the Nigerian government.

Chief Ogbe, who also commissioned Kano FADAMA tractorization project and seed processing facility with capacity of producing 50 tonnes per day, however, commended Governor Ganduje and his economic team as well as the farmers for their huge investment in the mass production of wheat and rice, including other major food items, re-iterating that Kano is well positioned to feed the nation in the nearest future. “I am proud of you (Ganduje), and I thank you for all your effort. I know if we give you the right support as we are trying to do, you can feed the whole nation and there will be no hunger in Nigeria,” Ogbe noted. He said further production is being encouraged through reduction of price of fertilizer to as low as less than N6, 000 per bag by the Federal government via an arrangement with the Moroccan government. The Minister also disclosed that the Federal Government’s ban on the importation of rice and wheat into the country has continued to add value to the economy as tariff on the ban items yield as much as $5 million daily into the nation’s treasury, adding that, “the tariff increase introduced in December last year saw the import duty on rice increased from 10 to 60 percent in an effort to increase local production of the product.”

In his remarks, Governor Ganduje said the wheat being harvested was a by-product of a N100 million interest-free loan, extended to 10,000 wheat farmers in the state by his administration, late last year. He added that the farmers have also been given moratorium by the state government not to pay the loan immediately so that they can re-invest the money in their farms as well as the introduction of new measures on harvest and post-harvest. Ganduje further noted that, “to prevent post-harvest loses, the state government has made available the sum of 50 million naira as loan for them to tap into and meet their immediate needs in order to stop them from selling the wheat product at low price.” The Ganduje administration has also been according top priority to fighting the menace of desertification and other ecological problems through the annual tree planting campaign, establishment of shelterbelts and rehabilitation of existing ones and execution of erosion control projects towards ensuring sustainable environment for food production and safe human habitation.

So far, the state government has succeeded in coming up with a comprehensive policy for the development of the agricultural sector through accelerated food production, livestock development for meat, leather and dairy products, natural resources conservation, agricultural pest and disease control, agro-processing and value addition, agricultural programme management information system, skills acquisition training, agricultural productivity and diversification. Other policy measures include, mechanization/tractorization, vaccination campaigns, renovation/rehabilitation of veterinary hospitals, micro-credit facilities for small and medium-scale agro-businesses, fisheries and poultry development, procurement of improved seeds and agro-chemicals for distribution to farmers, community warehousing to reduce post-harvest losses, training, collaboration with development partners, irrigation development, among a host of others which have already started bearing fruit.

Indeed, it is evidently clear that the Ganduje administration in Kano State has since its inception, recorded tremendous achievements in the agriculture sector being a catalyst to the overall development of any society. The State Governor has demonstrated political will and commitment to develop this vital sector in order to put the State on a sound pedestal for overall development thereby rescuing millions of people from abject penury just like many countries in Asia and Latin America have succeeded in doing through agrarian revolution. As a pacesetter for long, the State has again set the pace on the modernization of the agricultural sector for food security, income generation and job creation which has been the preoccupation of Governor Ganduje since assuming the mantle of leadership of the state in 2015. For the sake of continuity, during his inauguration speech for his second term in office, the governor stated, thus, “As part of the efforts to boost agricultural productivity of small and medium scale farmers, this administration will create enabling environment for collaboration with relevant stakeholders to undertake some interventions.

Counterpart funding in the sum of N700 million in the implementation of a five-year statewide World Bank assisted Agro Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support Project (APPEALS). The programme is aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity of small and medium scale farmers and improves value addition along priority value chain of participating state.

The sum of $500 million will be committed for the implementation of five year Islamic Development Bank to execute the state Pastoral Development that seeks to contribute to poverty reduction and strengthening food and nutrition security of vulnerable population in the state through sustainable development of livestock and crop selected value chain. As part of effort to boost cotton production in the state, the state government will inject the sum of N1.89 billion for the execution of four year plan in 32 local government areas selected for increased production of the commodity”. From the governor’s promise in his inauguration speech, there is great expectation that commensurate attention will be paid to agriculture and food production in the state to consolidate on his successes during his first term. That will not only boost the fight against hunger, unemployment, but also improve the Internally Generated Revenue of the state.