TheCable

Aminu Masari, governor of Katsina, says farmers abandoned thousands of hectares of farmland in the state in 2020, due to incessant attacks by bandits.

According to NAN, the governor said this on Thursday in Katsina at the launch of the 2021 wet season farming for maize.

He said in spite of disruptions caused by the attacks, the farmers recorded good harvests.

He added that more than 1.2 million jobs have been created in the the last five years through agriculture, adding that the programme “has supported the efforts in bringing back the lost glory of the agricultural sector”.

“For maize production, from 2016 to 2019, there has been an increase in the hectares cultivated during the periods. In the last five years, the state has generated 1.2 million short term jobs, for one to six months, and 249,551 long term jobs from six months and above were created,” the governor added.

The governor pledged that his administration will continue collaborating with development partners in agriculture and continue to ensure that farmers have access to farm inputs.

On his part, Abdulmumini Kabir, the Emir of Katsina who was represented by Lawal Bagiwa, commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the farmers’ association for the successes recorded.

He urged the government to step up efforts against banditry and kidnapping, in order to protect farmers and other citizens.

“I hope security agents will do more to enable farmers go back to their farms and plant crops,” he said.