On Thursday, the Niger State Government launched the distribution of one million banana seedlings to 250,000 households across the state in Minna.
Deputy Governor Comrade Yakubu Garba, acting on behalf of Governor Umar Bago, initiated the project at the Niger State Agricultural and Mechanisation Development Authority (NAMDA) in collaboration with the federal government, Niger Foods, and One Hectare One Family.
Comrade Garba announced that the distribution would occur over four years, emphasizing that the initiative is a significant outcome of the Niger State Green Economy Summit. He highlighted the project’s potential to economically empower households, enhance nutrition, and accelerate agro-industrial development, all crucial to the state’s agricultural agenda.
He also noted that the global focus is now on food and nutrition security, and Niger State is committed to ensuring a healthy population. He assured that Governor Umaru Bago’s administration has heavily invested in mechanization and will continue to prioritize agricultural development to boost food production, reduce market prices, and attract investors.
The Acting Governor expressed gratitude to the project partners for supporting the state’s nutrition security efforts and urged beneficiaries to use the seedlings effectively to improve their families’ nutrition and income.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Alhaji Musa Salihu Bawa, stated that the government is optimistic the project will improve food and nutrition indices, reduce poverty and unemployment, diversify the economy, and increase the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR).
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Titi Auta, praised the initiative as timely and encouraged women to take advantage of it to grow home gardens.
NAMDA Managing Director Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu Baba revealed that Bosso, Chanchaga, and Paikoro local government areas were selected as pilot sites, with women as the target beneficiaries.
In their goodwill messages, Chairman of One Hectare One Family Project Mr. Oluwafemi Kuko, and representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, ACReSAL, and Niger Foods, commended the initiative’s nutritional and socio-economic benefits and pledged their continued support.
The Acting Governor symbolically presented the banana suckers to some beneficiaries and inspected the banana nursery at NAMDA.
In 2023, the state government and One Hectare One Family signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the supply of banana seedlings to farming households. The beneficiaries of the pilot local governments are expected to provide their first harvest to test run a processing plant, which an interested investor will establish.
