Gov Namadi holds strategic talks with Saudi experts on data palm
Gov Umar Namadi has held a strategic meeting with representatives of the Date Palm Foundation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led by Prof. Ahmad Al-Jabbar of King Fahad University.
The meeting, which was held at the Saudi Arabian Consul General’s residence in Kano, had in attendance the Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin; the Director-General of the Jigawa Agricultural Transformation Agency (JATA), Dr. Saifullahi Umar; and the Director-General of the Jigawa Research Institute, Dr. Sulaiman Rufa’I, as well as the Saudi Arabian Consul General himself.
Discussions focused on the ongoing initiatives by the Jigawa State Government to accelerate date palm production in the state through deployment of advanced production techniques, including molecular segregation and tissue culture, to improve seed quality and yields by leveraging Saudi Arabian expertise in the field.
Namadi expressed appreciation for the opportunity to engage Saudi experts on advancing date palm production in Jigawa State and commended the cordial and longstanding relationship between Jigawa State and Saudi Arabia, particularly in education and agriculture, stating that this was the second engagement between the state government and Saudi partners on the date palm plantation initiative.
The governor stated that due to Jigawa State’s vast availability of arable land suitable for date palm cultivation, the state remained Nigeria’s leading producer of date palm.
He said that the state was conducting a comprehensive survey of all date palm trees while also planning to establish plantations in five locations across the state and stressed the need for capacity building for date palm farmers to improve yields and adopt modern practices.
“Certainly, this is sure to boost productivity, increase farmers’ incomes and enhance export potential,” he said.
Namadi added that the initiative aims to plant 10,000 date palm offshoots, covering both local and commercial varieties, alongside comprehensive training and capacity-building programmes for local youth.
“Currently, 1,042 hectares are under cultivation, providing employment for 400 youths, with plans to expand participation to 1,000 youths. Under the scheme, each participating youth will be allocated half a hectare to support sustainable livelihoods and inclusive growth.”
