Kano state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Galilee National Management Institute of Israel for water resource management and in particular the use of dams for irrigation.
Shortly
after signing the agreement on behalf of the state government, the
state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje stressed that the state is
ready to develop irrigation to enhance the competitiveness of the local
economy and to alleviate poverty.
“Kano
state has agricultural resource endowments comprising of about 1, 754,
200 hectares of arable land, 982, 600 hectares of inland waters and 72,
072 hectares of forest cover, which are grossly underutilized for food
security, job creation and export” he maintained.
He
stressed that the state has irrigation facilities including over 20
dams, which if put into good use, cannot only feed the state but also
provide huge agricultural output for export.
The
governor stated that because Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria
and owing to its dwindling allocation from the Federation Account
coupled with the Federal government’s policy on limiting importation of
rice and wheat, signing of the MOU with the Israeli institute could not
have come at a better time than now.
Dr.
Ganduje stressed pointed out that his administration has taken steps to
encourage wheat and rice cultivation in the state throughout the year
hoping that the farmers in Kano would learn from the expertise that the
Israeli institute would offer.
The
governor also indicated interest to work with the Israeli partners in
the area of domestic animals’ insemination to enhance the quality of
dairy products, meat and allied goods in the state.
Earlier,
the President of the Institute, Dr Joseph Shevel said that the
institution is a leading public training organization that offers
advanced courses to professionals in several fields, assuring that with
the MoU, it would train the indigenes of Kano on technical proficiency
in irrigation. He announced that the institute would offer free
scholarships to 100 indigenes of the state.
Dr.
Shevel said his country Israel is highly advanced in
agriculture, pointing out that about 50 percent of pepper consumed in
Europe is exported from Israel. He was optimistic that the relationship
between Kano state government and his institute would be mutually
beneficial.
Ameen K. Yassar
Press Secretary to the
Exec. Gov. Kano state
1/12/2015
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