About 5000 smallholder ginger farmers who recorded losses last season due to blight disease on their farms across seven local government areas of Kaduna State have received National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) agricultural inputs as a form of intervention.
The Executive Secretary, NADF, Muhammad Abu Ibrahim, said at the flag-off ceremony held in Kaduna on Tuesday, that the intervention is the first phase of the input distribution program under The Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment (GRATE).
He added that GRATE program which is a subsidiary of NADF is designed to provide agricultural inputs as a form of support to smallholder Ginger farmers by the Federal Government.
“The Program will enable the affected farmers to practice Crop rotation on their farms affected by the Ginger Blight disease while also supporting them towards improved livelihoods from the economic losses they incurred due to the impact of the disease.” Abu Ibrahim said.
The NADF Boss further said; “The NADF will further support the crop production process by providing Monitoring and Evaluation services, Good Agronomic Practices(GAP) and market linkages for the farmers while also developing programs to strengthen and develop the entire Ginger value chain.”
While flagging off the distribution exercise, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, said, “the State Government remains resolute to continue provide support to smallholder farmers as a strategy against poverty and boost the economic fortunes of our people’.
The governor commended the federal government for their consistent and continuous support to the state government, while promising to continue to work closely with the federal government and other key stakeholders for the benefit of the people of state.
“We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to the Federal Government and the National Agricultural Development Fund for their support to our smallholder Ginger farmers and for standing in solidarity with Kaduna State during this challenging period.
“We acknowledge and appreciate the swift intervention being implemented particularly the establishment of the National Ginger Blight Epidemic Taskforce to comprehensively address the issues arising from the huge lost suffered by our Ginger farmers” Gov Uba Sani.”
NADF said the intervention program in the first phase will provide inputs which include Maize and Sorghum Seeds, Fertilizers, Agrochemicals and Crop Protection Products to 5000 registered and validated smallholder Ginger farmers from across the 7 affected Local Govt Areas of Kachia, Zango-Kataf, Kaura, Kagarko, Jema’a, Jabba and Sanga in Kaduna State.
