By YANGE IKYAA
The minister of water resources, Engr. Suleiman Husseini Adamu on Thursday commissioned the Gari Irrigation Project in a boundary between Kano and Jigawa States after the project was abandoned by successive regimes in Nigeria for decades.
While conducting the exercise at Kazaure in Roni Local Government Area of Jigawa state,
Adamu stated that the commissioning was a significant milestone achievement in the Federal Government’s concerted efforts at enhancing food production through irrigation agriculture to feed the ever increasing population of the country.
The minister, in his keynote address, explained that the Gari Irrigation Project had long been abandoned by past administrations until he assumed office in 2015 with the resolve to complete viable but abandoned projects in line with the thrust of the Muhammadu Buhari Administration.
According to him, the project covers an area of about 2,114 hectares of land, consisting of a cross dam situated at the confluence of Gari and Marke Rivers, a main canal traversing the entire length of the project, as well as a number of major drains and field access roads consisting eight (8) separate sectors of irrigation farmlands.
Adamu added that the infrastructure falls within five Local Government Areas of Kazaure and Roni in Jigawa State and Kunchi, Dambatta and Makoda in Kano State. He further stated that, in order to ease the burden of farmers for an all-year-round crop production experience, 1,930 hectares of land was developed to complete the works on ground, which includes 43.9 kilometers of distributary canals,154.68 kilometers of field canals, 41.65 kilometers of service roads, 165.79 kilometers of field tracks. Other additional facilities are six night storage reservoirs, three bridges constructed across the main canal, cross dam and associated structures, as well as excavation and de-silting of main drains.
The director of irrigation and drainage department, Engr. Esther Oluniyi, informed that agriculture is the backbone of developing and emerging countries and therefore access to reliable and affordable irrigation water for agriculture is a crucial factor for the economic development of the nation.
Speaking further, she stressed that “in order to meet the ever increasing demands for food in country, it was pertinent to look for the most reliable means in the absence of electricity and diesel-driven pumps, which are way too expensive for most farmers”.
Engr Oluniyi noted that the project is a major milestone, as farmers can now reliably farm and harvest all year round in the community.
She commended the Federal Government and the minister for their commitment and support towards the completion of the project.
Engr. Oluniyi further appealed to the private sector and international agencies to invest in developing the sector and equally urged the beneficiaries to work hard to sustain the project for the good of the country towards achieving food sufficiency and security.
In a related development, the water resources minister also commissioned a seed processing plant at Kodowa Farm Centre in Kano State. This project is supervised by the Hadejia Jamaare River Basin Development Authority and is expected that this project will enhance increased labour output and yield for farmers, as they will be provided with improved seeds for cultivation.
