Determined to ease the effects of economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidies and fulfill campaign promises, Kano state Governor, Alh Abba Kabir Yusuf has today launched the distribution of palliatives to 500,000 households and agricultural intervention programs at an occasion that was held at the headquarters of Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (KNARDA).
The Governor said the dou programs are for the benefit of the less privileged in both rural and urban areas of the state and the gesture would not only help in cushioning the effects of the subsidy removal and ameliorating the economic conditions but strengthen the government’s fight against poverty in the state.
According to the Governor, “2357 women were supported with ram/Sheep and goats to engage in fattening and reproduction through Kano State Agro Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) based on the confidence that healthy and productive small ruminants play a key role in supporting women livelihood in low and middle-income communities.
In addition, 6,000 smallholder farmers were supported with agricultural inputs and technologies including Climate Smart pumping machines, power tillers, hammer mills, rice mills, rice hullers, rice thrashers, and maize threshers to improve agricultural productivity under the KSADP/Sasakawa Africa Association Crops Value Chain intervention.” Said the Governor.
Also, 1,200 Groundnut farmers were given “Aflasafe” under the KNARDA legumes value chain program to prevent post-harvest losses and the state government procured 2,050 units of Tradable water pumps which will also be given to farmers as a motivation stimulus.
Under the Agro Processing and Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support (APPEALS) project, the state government is providing input support to 300 farmers across the value chain of rice, wheat, and tomato in order to encourage farmers to grow more food, improve livelihood and create jobs for the teeming youth men and women in the state.
On the palliatives, the Governor went on “our government is using this occasion to commence the distribution of 297,000 (10kg bags) of Rice and 160,000 (10 kg bags) of maize to the poor and vulnerable in the 44 local government areas of the state.
To ensure these items reach the intended families, they would be distributed across the 484 wards in the state. Each ward shall receive a share of 565 bags of 10kg rice and 330 bags of 10kg maize.
The distribution will also take place in the following identified and selected groups: all rehabilitation homes, all social welfare homes, persons with special needs, selected Tsangayu/Islamiyya schools, and selected hospitals in the state as well as junior cadre from the civil service. On the whole, a total of about half a million households will benefit from the various agricultural interventions and palliatives distribution in the state.” Explained Governor Abba Kabir.
To ensure justice and fairness in the distribution, compliance committees at the state, local governments, and ward levels were approved to ensure that the palliative items are appropriately distributed accordingly and reach the intended beneficiary households.
Those who spoke at the occasion include the managing director of KNARDA, Dr Farouk Kurawa, State Project Coordinator of KSADP, Alh Ibrahim Garba Gama, his counterparts of N-CARE, who was represented by Naziru Datti Kura, APPEALS, Hassan Ibrahim and the representative of country director of Sasakawa Africa Association, Abdulrashid Kofar Mata.
