Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) on Sunday said 150,000 rice farmers would be engaged in dry season farming in Zamfara as part of effort to ensure food security in the country.
The Secretary of the association in the state, Alhaji Sanusi Muhammad, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau.
Muhammad said the association had begun educating people on the need to participate in local rice production to boost their economy and ensure food security.
He said the special intervention programme recently launched by the Federal Government on rice farming had boosted the moral of the farmers.
He said more than 20,000 hectares in Bakalori dam irrigation scheme and Fadama schemes in Maradun, Bakura and Talata-Mafara Local Government areas would be cultivated.
“The association is working with government agents to register active rice farmers to facilitate easy reach whenever the need arises.’’
The secretary urged the state and federal government to meet necessary standard in local rice production.
Meanwhile, a farmer in Talata-Mafara, Jamilu Abubakar, had expressed concern over poor market for locally produced rice.
Abubakar, who appealed to the government to provide modern processing machines in the area, also urged the government to expand Bakalori irrigation scheme to accommodate more farmers wishing to invest in rice production.
When contacted, the Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, Alhaji Musa Raji, said arrangement had been concluded for the distribution of fertilizer and other inputs to farmers in the state. (NAN)