Prof. Sani Ahmed-Miko, Country Director, Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG 2000), on Wednesday advised rice farmers in the country to embrace the improved rice production technology introduced by the organisation.
Ahmed-Miko gave the advice when he visited some Community Demonstration plots at Dakaiyawa village, Kaugama Local Government area, Jigawa.
Some officials of the NGO were in the area to assess performance of rice farmers who benefited from the organisation’s intervention programmes.
He said there was need for the farmers to embrace the technology because it increases productivity and yield.
He said the technology also strengthen capacities of farmers and National extension systems in Nigeria, Mali, Ethiopia and Uganda.
“The essence is to fight poverty and ensure food security; Farro 44 rice variety matures between 90 and 100 days and yield range between four to eight metric tons per hectare.
“Land preparation for rice cultivation should be fairly levelled to allow for Water retention,” he said.
The Country Director said the current strategy in agricultural technology transfer was farmer participatory and demand deriven through farmer learning platforms at community levels as a value chain concepts.
Ahmed-Miko said the visit would enable journalists and officials of NGO to hear from the beneficiaries about the improved technologies being promoted.
The coordinator of SG 2000 in Jigawa, Alhaji Musa Adamu, said no fewer than 35 extension workers were working under the organisation in the state.
He said rice farmers in the state had had accepted the planting technology and the use of improved rice seeds.
“Rice farmers in the state are adopting the technologies and based on their assessment they are seeing improvement.”
He commended the farmers for adopting the new transplanting pattern and spacing between plant and the line as this allows for easy application of fertilizer.
NAN reports that the team had interacted with beneficiaries on the technology at Ajin village and most of them had expressed satisfaction with the new technology.(NAN)
