FG to provide threshing machines to rice farmers in Niger

The Federal Government will provide threshing machine to registered rice farmers in Niger State to boost production, an official said on Sunday.
Dr. Mathew Ahmed, the Programme Coordinator for Rice and Cassava Value Chain Development under the FG/IFAD Programme, made the disclosure in Minna, Niger State.
“We want each farmers organisation to own a thresher to enable them produce clean rice of international standard,” Ahmed said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said a total of 7,146 farmers, consisting of 6,082 rice farmers and 1,064 cassava farmers, are benefiting from the programme in the state.
The coordinator explained that only farmer organisations that paid the mandatory 30 per cent support fund to acquire the machines, would benefit from the initiative.
He explained that the measure was aimed at increasing quality of yield, and enhance farmers’ income.
Also, Hajiya Madina Aliyu, the Secretary, Nata Women Corporative Society in Katcha Local Government Area of the state, one of the participating farmer groups, urged the government to hasten the provision of the threshers.
Aliyu said that farmers now travel long distances to thresh their produce.
“The idea of providing threshers for us is good because we will get clean rice, spend less and stop trekking long distance to de-stone our rice,” she said.
She commended the programme and said that it has increased their rice production output.