Senator Buba Umar Empowers 2,000 Youth, Women on Farming

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Youth and women farmers numbering 2,000 across seven local government areas that comprised the Bauchi South senatorial district of the state yesterday benefitted from high quality hybrid seedlings for the forthcoming dry season farming in their respective areas.

According the Senator representing the district, Shehu Buba Umar, the gesture is part of his agricultural transformation to boost food production while making the beneficiaries self-reliance, as well as reducing the unemployment trends among youths and women in the society.

Presenting the seedlings to the beneficiaries at a ceremony held in Bauchiyesterday, the senator explained that the distribution of the seedlings for the dry season farming would also curb the hunger currently ravaging the people, as well as ensure food security in the state.

The lawmaker was represented at the occasion by his Legislative Aide, Hon. Maijama’aMato, who urged the beneficiaries to make the best of the opportunity afforded them not only to fend for a living, but equally for self-reliance.

The General Manager of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, Ilorin, Mr. AbdullatifNuruddeen, has earlier said that the seedlings included maize, rice, soghom, soya beans and ordinary bean of high quality.

Nuruddeen disclosed that each of the five different seedlings has 420 bags thereby giving a total of 2, 100 bags for the 2, 000 beneficiaries in the seven local government areas of the Bauchi South senatorial district

He, however, warned the beneficiaries against selling the seedlings without lending credence to agricultural output for mass production of the commodities for the benefit of citizens

Hassan Gaji is another aide of the senator who revealed that each of the 2, 000 beneficiaries would get a number of variety of 10 bags, and called on beneficiaries and the constituents at large to continue praying for the senator to achieve his set objectives.

A beneficiary of the programme,HarunaShu’aibuBurwat, assured them of making the best use of the seedlings, saying: “We would not relent in giving the senator all necessary support and cooperation in achieving the programme goals and objectives.

It was gathered that apart from the provision of hybrid seedlings for the dry season farming, each of the beneficiaries was also supported with certain amount of cash to facilitate farming.