The Gombe State government, on Wednesday, commended the Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity (NIAA) USAID-funded intervention in seed system development being implemented in the state by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).



Mr Manassah Jatau, the deputy governor of Gombe State gave the commendation in Gombe while delivering his speech during the Presentation of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) certificates to Community-Based Seed Entrepreneur (CBSE) Cooperatives in the state.
Jatau said the intervention was assisting farmers boost food availability while increasing their income, which he said was in line with the Gov Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State’s agenda to revolutionise the agriculture sector.
Represented by Dr Isiaku Babayo, the Special Assistant to Gov Yahaya on Donor, Development and Partners Coordination, the deputy governor said the support would help improve agricultural activities in the state since it was concerned with seed production and marketing.
According to him, seeds are the great determinants of harvest and adaptability to climate change being experienced.
He said since the Northeast as well as the country was being threatened by food shortage in view of the impact of insurgency in the region, “We are happy that the USAID and IITA came with their support.
“This will subsequently promote agricultural development and food security in Gombe State, Northeast and the country.
“The government and people of Gombe State are happy that you (USAID, IITA and the National Agricultural Seeds Council NASC) have certified these Cooperatives to produce and market certified seeds.
“This is being done in order to develop sustainable seed system in Northeast to promote agricultural development and food security; this is highly commendable,” he said.
Jatau tasked the newly certified cooperatives to train more farmers in their communities and ensure that the essence of the programme was adhered to towards improving crops yields while boosting farmers’ income per hectare.
He advised farmers to embrace use of certified seeds, adding that such remained a major tool to addressing the threat of food shortage in the state and country.
On his part, Dr Barnabas Malle, the Gombe State Commissioner of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives said the intervention would also help complement government’s efforts at addressing farmer/herder conflicts in the state.
Malle said with the improved and certified seeds, farmers would get more crop yields which would be harvested early as these improved seeds were early maturing to give way for herders to take their livestock to graze on the leftover.
Dr Ishiak Khalid, the Acting Director General of NASC said the partnership with USAID and IITA was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu to boost food security in the country.
Represented by Mr Sagir Yakubu, NASC’s Regional Director for the Northeast, Khalid said the seed system development was to ensure availability of certified seeds for farmers’ timely use in their communities.
The DG said the move would greatly support smallholder farmers in terms of making the certified seeds available, accessible and affordable for them within their communities.
Mr Prakash Silwal, the Chief-of-Party, Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity said the USAID contributions to economic recovery in Northeast was making a difference.
Silwal who is also the Principal Specialist, IITA said the interventions was a collaborative effort between USAID, IITA and NASC, was to address the secondary impacts of conflict in the region.
“Together, we organised our beneficiary seed producers into Community-Based Seed Entrepreneur (CBSCs) Cooperatives, training them in good agronomy practices and empowering them to elevate their status as seed enterprises.
“Through this collaboration, we facilitated their access to critical agricultural inputs, including foundation seeds from relevant research institutes, providing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and seed production with marketing technique exposures.
“We also ensured provision of extension services, mandatory monitoring visits by NASC Seed Certification Officers and ensured their seed samples underwent rigorous testing by NASC Laboratory in Gombe,”
Our correspondent reports that out of the 121 cooperatives across the implementing states of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe that will receive their NASC certification, 27 are from Gombe State.