The Hadejia Jama’are Rivers Basin Development Authority, HJRBDA, has vowed to prosecute dealers of adulterated fertilisers, seeds, chemicals, and other agric inputs causing danger to the health security of Nigerians.

Besides, the authority rolls out developmental action plans to revamp irrigation schemes and expand land for farm production as part of measures to boost food security in Nigeria.

The Managing Director of HJRBDA, Rabi’u Suleman Bichi, gave the stern warning at a press conference at the headquarters of the authority in Kano.

Bichi worried over yearly losses of produce worth millions of naira in Kano, Jigawa, and Bauchi States during harvest due to adulterated farm inputs.

Bichi decried what he described as unpatriotic activities of input dealers who are careless about the negative implications of their actions on the health of the population and vowed to take necessary actions against the perpetrators.

According to the MD, HJRBDA has activated necessary mechanisms to detect and apprehend those behind poisonous inputs while challenging farmers and other stakeholders to report any suspicion to the authority and other regulators.

“My call on the general public is to be on the lookout and report anybody found selling adulterated farm inputs to NAFDAC, SON, and other relevant authorities. Such adulterated farm inputs made farmers incur losses last season and have the potential to cause diseases like cancer on human health.

“This time around, we will be very vigilant to ensure good farm inputs are distributed to farmers and go after those selling adulterated ones and punish them,” he warned.

Bichi stressed the commitment of the authority to transform the River Basin development through irrigation and expansion of arable land to enhance food security.

“Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA) is embarking on a bold and transformative journey to enhance the socio-economic development of our river basin.

“We have conducted a comprehensive review and established specialised committees charged with formulating a strategic action plan for our management and staff. Areas of focus include training 5,000 youths in modern irrigation techniques.

“We are also looking at evaluating existing assets to ensure sustainable income through commercialisation of operations. We shall improve service on water use charges to farmers and introduce carbon credits to enhance internal revenue generation,” Bichi said.

He added that, aligned with the President’s directive on emergency food security, HJRBDA had proactively identified key strategies to bolster food production and security within the basin.

To effectively coordinate these efforts, he said, the authority has established the following committees to that effect.

The committees, according to Bichi, would spearhead initiatives to strengthen food security, promote sustainable development, and improve the livelihoods of communities within the river basin.

“Our team is excited about the opportunities ahead and looks forward to collaborating with stakeholders to realise these goals,” he said.