Mr Isaac Mela, the Permanent Secretary, Taraba Ministry of Agriculture,
says the N2 billion Greenhouse project of the state government has so
far employed 200 youths.
Mela said this in Jalingo on Thursday at the 5th edition of “Face the Press’’ programme.
He noted that apart from the employment opportunities which the project
had generated, it would also supply good vegetables to the citizens.
He said that the project would also serve as a center for practical
studies for students, especially those studying agriculture in higher
institutions across the country.
The permanent secretary said
that the government sourced funding for the project from the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), adding that the project was designed to pay back
the loan over time.
Besides, Mela said that the state
government’s partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) had yielded good results in terms of infrastructural
He noted that IFAD had constructed over 25 kilometres of access roads,
which connected farming areas in Gassol, Wukari and Karim Lamido Local
Government Areas of the state.
“The state government’s partnership with IFAD is one of the best things that happen to farmers in our state.
“IFAD has so far constructed 25 kilometres of access roads linking
rural farms, while training hundreds of farmers on good agronomic
practices and distributing farm inputs to boost rice and cassava
production,’’ he said.
Mela said that a similar partnership with FADAMA had also yielded good results in rice production.
He said that the government had distributed improved seedlings of
various crops to farmers to enhance productivity and encourage mass
production.
He said that the government had also concluded
arrangements to procure assorted fertilisers from Jigawa Fertiliser
Blending Plant for distribution to farmers before the commencement of
the rainy season.
Speaking on the “Face the Press’’ programme,
Mela said that the initiative was aimed at enhancing transparency,
accountability and good governance via a weekly interaction between
government officials and the media. (NAN
