Jigawa Govt Releases N150m to Sasakawa to Support 9,000 Farmers
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
The Jigawa State Government has released over N150 million as counterpart funding to the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) to strengthen agronomic practices and agricultural extension services across the state.
The disclosure was made by Dr. Abdulhamid Gambo, Deputy Country Director of SAA, during a two-day media field visit to farming communities in Taura, Dutse, and Birnin Kudu Local Government Areas.
Dr. Gambo explained that the partnership stemmed from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state government and SAA, designed to scale up agricultural innovations and enhance farmers’ productivity.
“Recently, the state paid $100,000 as counterpart funding to expand our programmes. This year alone, Sasakawa is targeting 9,000 direct beneficiaries across 34 communities in Jigawa,” he said.
He noted that SAA’s mission focuses on strengthening the entire agricultural value chain — from production and nutrition to processing, value addition, and marketing — to create sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers.
Dr. Gambo commended Governor Umar Namadi for sustaining the government’s investment in agriculture and supporting farmers to adopt new technologies that are transforming the sector.
“We are proud to partner with Jigawa and its hardworking farmers. Many have diversified their income through agribusiness ventures, thanks to improved yields and training support,” he added.
According to him, SAA’s interventions have significantly boosted farmers’ access to improved seeds, fertilizers, and training programmes, thereby increasing productivity and household income.
He described the farmers’ growing commitment to innovation as a major step toward achieving food security and agricultural transformation in Jigawa State.
During the field visit, several beneficiaries testified to the impact of the initiative on their livelihoods.
Buhari Rabiu, a rice farmer from Chadan community in Birnin Kudu, said
“Sasakawa taught us modern rice planting techniques that are more productive and less labor-intensive.
“Before I harvested six bags of rice, but now I get eleven. I’ll never go back to the old method.”
Similarly, Safiyanu Ahmadu from Baranda in Dutse Local Government Area said the programme had encouraged group savings and cooperative farming, which strengthened community resilience.
He, however, appealed for more support, particularly in providing rice and groundnut processing machines, to enhance operations and add value to farm produce.
