The Federal Government, through Transformation of Irrigation Management in Nigeria, TRIMING, Project has handed over seven additional sectors for Kano River Irrigation Scheme, KIRS.
TRIMING project is an intervention programme which complements the World Bank’s support and focuses on improving large-scale public irrigation in northern Nigeria towards agricultural production, growth and reducing rural poverty.
The project, was signed on July 6, 2018 between the federal government and SINOHYDRO Corporation Limited at the sum of N23,115,485,515.84. The government, on June 30 last year, handed over seven sectors, which included access roads and water canals, with a total hectarage of 976 to irrigation farmers under the KIRS.
This year, the federal government had also handed over additional completed irrigation sectors with a total hectarage of 1,047 hectares.
Speaking during the handover ceremony held in Bunkure Local Government area on Monday, the National Project Coordinator of TRIMING, Peter Manjo, said the aim of the project was to make the beneficiaries self-reliant.
According to him, irrigation farming is the most efficient job to boost food production for achievement of food security in the country and generation of employment opportunities.
He said the beneficiaries had been trained and sensitized in order to believe in themselves to know how to operate and maintain the scheme.
He added that the rehabilitated sectors handed over to the different groups of farmers, include 24 kilometers long water canal and access, urging them to maintain the project as the federal government had handed it over to them without expecting any return.
In his remarks earlier, Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, expressed delight at the handing over of the project to the beneficiaries.
Mr Adamu, represented by Managing Director, Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, HJRBD, Mahmud Da’u-Aliyu, said the rehabilitated canals would go a long way in boosting irrigation farming in the state.
The minister noted that if the sectors are used efficiently, it would improve food security in the country.
“Today history has been made. We are witnessing the handing over of seven rehabilitated canals for irrigation farming in this state. The farmers had been trained and sensitized on how to maintain the project efficiently.
“These canals would be handed over to you to utilize it by producing farm produce of your choice.
“I therefore urge you to utilize it efficiently in order to achieve the desired goal,” the minister said that the seven sectors include Sector 37- Kulama (149ha), Sector 38- Turba (132ha), Sector 39- Tsambaki (83ha) and Sector 42- Lautaiye (353ha).
Others include Sector 43- Bunkure A) 73.3ha), Sector 44- Bunkure B(80.1ha) and Sector 46- Korowa (176.9ha).