50,000 farmers regain livelihood as TRIMING project resuscitate moribund Kano river irrigation

No few than 50,000 farmers would regain full productivity with capacity for all year round farming season following the renewed commitment of Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project irrigation scheme.

TRIMING project, a World Bank founded programme engaged by Federal Ministry of Water Resources, executing rehabilitation of public irrigation and capacity building of farmers in five River Basin Development Authorities, including Bakolori. middle Rima, Kano River, Hadejia Valley and Dadin Kowa irrigation schemes.

In Kano, TRIMING project has commenced implementation of the scheme to provide irrigation services to 50,000 farmers spread across 15,000 hectares of land apart from the restoration work to reclaim 5,000 hectares already lost to degradation in the state.

TRIMING National Project Coordinator, Peter Yakubu Manzo, disclosed this at the opening of consultative meeting on TRIMING-WUA/RBDA on irrigation operations and management in Kano.

Manzo explained that farming and irrigation management remain a substantial business opportunity that can promote agricultural revolution in the country, if properly harnessed.

The project coordinator stressed that despite Nigeria’s huge potential in agricultural development, the country was yet to fully explore deposits due to poor irrigation system retarding food security.

While attributing weak output of the existing irrigation scheme in Nigeria, the National Coordinator of TRIMING insisted that government has no business in managing irrigation business in the country.

Manzo identified over centralisation of institutions, constraints in budgeting and funding, inefficient operation and maintenance of irrigation scheme by the Federal Government as major hindrances to successful water farming supply system in Nigeria.

He, however, applauded the Federal Government’s decision to gradually transfer irrigation system management from government ownership and control to farmers management system through technical support of TRIMING project.

The coordinator informed that the World Bank supported project got $560.30 million for implementation, which commenced since 2015 was extended to 2024.

He said: “The objective of TRIMING project is hinged at improving access to irrigation and drainage services and to strengthen institutional arrangements for integrated water resources management and agricultural service delivery in selected large scale public scheme.”