Gombe has 144000 hectares grazing reserve, largest in Africa- Gov Yahaya tells Minister
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Gombe state governor, Inuwa Yahaya, has said the state boasts of the largest grazing reserve in Africa.
Yahaya stated this on Friday, while playing host to the minister of state for Agriculture, Mustapha Shehuri who was in the state to inaugurate agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers of fourteen (14) crops to reduce the effect of Covid-19.
He said, “We are blessed with the Dadinkowa dam, blessed with the Balanga dam, and the Cham dam and the other water body coast of river Gongola, makes the state a very viable one for agricultural purposes. On top of that we have the largest grazing reserve in the whole of Africa, the Wawa Zange grazing reserve which is a 144,000 hectares.”
While urging the federal government for more collaborations, Yahaya stressed that the state suffers burden as a result of her geographical location.
“That has brought a lot of stress on our resources; agricultural, healthcare, infrastructure, water supply and so on. That has made us very vulnerable and we need the support of the federal ministry of Agriculture and all the federal ministries, departments and agencies for us to continue to shoulder that responsibility of displaced people and sustaining the means of livelihood of our people. 75 or 80 percent of our people are peasant farmers with a population of about 3.5 million people,” Governor Yahaya added.
On his part, Shehuri said he was in the state inaugurate farm inputs to support farmers, most especially women in line with National Gender Action Plan and Policies aimed at ensuring increased opportunities for women.
“it is therefore my pleasure to be here with you today, to flag-off the distribution of agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers of fourteen crops as part of my ministry’s interventions to reduce the effect of covid-19 pandemic on agricultural production in Nigeria and avert food scarcity in 2021. Also we are distributing organic fertilizers to boost food food production as well.
” As you are aware, the restriction of movement of people, goods and services has negatively impacted on food supply chains, incomes and livelihoods across the country,” Shehuri added.
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