The Kaduna State AGRA consortium project has opened three processing centres for maize and rice in Kaduna, as part of efforts to empower women farmers in rural communities.

The consortium also revealed that it has been able to engage 300,000 farmers as part of measures to increase food production in the state. Speaking during the commissioning of maize processing centre in Unguwar Alkaki community, in Zaria Local Council, the Programme Officer of AGRA, Dr. Esther Ibrahim, contended that the centres would serve as avenue for the women to stand on their own and not dependent on others.

She disclosed that one centre would serve the purpose of maize processing, while the other two will serve as rice processing centres. Alkaki added that the consortium is poised to provide support to the farmers in the above-mentioned areas, to assist them in cultivating more crops.

“We were able to establish demonstration farms in Kudan, Kauru and other places. We gave the farmers a quarter hectare of land to cultivate maize, cowpea, rice, and tomatoes, among others.”

While also speaking, the team leader of AGRA, Kaduna State Consortium Project, Professor Chris Daudu, revealed that the consortium was able to engage 300,000 farmers as part of measures to increase food production in the state.

Speaking in an interview immediately after presenting an overview of the programme at NAERLS Zaria, Professor Daudu maintained that currently, they are engaging farmers in 18 councils out of the 23 councils in the state.

The team leader noted that the whole idea of the project is to address issues of resilience most farmers face today. He listed some of these challenges as low farming productivity, low income, climatic change, security, issues regarding planting, managing crops, as well as marketing.