Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa, on Monday, unveiled the state worker agricultural support programme with 8,430 beneficiaries designed to engage civil servants in farming business.

The governor, while flagging off the programme in Dutse, said that the initiative aimed at improving food security, economic empowerment, and the livelihood of the workers.

“There is no doubt that the soaring cost of food items has placed an enormous burden on our people, particularly our workforce who earn a fixed income,” he said.

According to him, the programme is designed to cushion the impact of the rising costs, enhance food security at the household level, and provide the workers with an additional income stream.

“This is what we are doing within the context of our overall agricultural transformation agenda.

“It aligns with our broader vision of transforming Jigawa into an agricultural hub, and we believe that by encouraging workers to participate in farming, we are contributing to increased food production, reduced reliance on food imports, and the overall development of our rural economy,” Mr Namadi noted.

“The Civil Servants’ Agricultural Support Programme is, therefore, yet another well-packaged programme specifically targeting the civil servants recognised as major players in the socioeconomic development of the state.

“As earlier indicated, the agriculture support programme for civil servants is designed to empower government workers to significantly improve self-sufficiency in food and nutrition security for their families while also providing them with additional means of sustainable livelihood.

“For the current farming season, the programme targets rice, sorghum, millet and sesame production,” the governor said.

He said that as a packaged intervention, the programme would seek to provide targeted support in the form of costed input supply and soft cash loans for farm operations to cover the cost of labour and other farm management expenses.

“The package comprises N250,000 for millet, sorghum and sesame, which will cover the cost of inputs comprising three bags of NPK and one bag of Urea per hectare and the provision of assorted chemicals and pesticides, with the balance of the money provided to cover operational costs.

“For those cultivating rice, the package is up to N500,000 to cover the costs of six bags of NPK and three bags of Urea per hectare, assorted chemicals and pesticides, and a cash balance to cover the cost of other farm operations.

“By providing access to these critical agricultural inputs, we are confident that our workers will not only achieve food sufficiency but also generate additional income to support their families,” he assured.

Mr Namadi, however, said that even though the programme targeted all civil servants and public and political office holders at the state and local government levels, there were criteria for participation, including having a low debt burden not exceeding one-third of one’s gross salary.

“Very importantly, one must accept the terms and conditions guiding the implementation of the programme as may be specified in the agreement form.

“For instance, the agreement has clearly defined the purpose of the loan, how it would be disbursed (inputs and cash), how it would be repaid, and what would happen in case of default,” he said.

According to him, it is important to point out that the government intends to institutionalise the Jigawa Workers Agricultural Support Programme as a Revolving Loan to be implemented during all planting seasons (rain-fed and irrigation).

“So far, government has earmarked over N3.3 billion which will cover over 8,430 civil servants from both the state and local government services and about 400 public and political officer holders.

“Unless all beneficiaries agree to the terms and conditions governing the programme, sustainability will be difficult. I, therefore, urge all beneficiaries of the programme to abide by its terms and conditions,” he advised.

Earlier, the chairman, state technical committee on agricultural support programme, Muhammad Dagaceri, said the programme was introduced with the aim of encouraging workers to engage in mass farming.

“The committee has set a target of selecting 14,000 workers as the first tranche of beneficiaries.

“This number represents roughly one-quarter equivalent to 25 per cent of the total workforce of 57,466 in the state.

“To ensure a level playing ground for all workers so that they will have an equal chance of selection, a web portal was opened, and all state workers were given five days to access the portal and submit their applications,” he said.

The chairman observed that the approach helped in achieving fairness by providing everyone with the same opportunity within a defined timeframe.

He added that it also eliminated biases that could arise from differing access or timing constraints and allowed all eligible workers to participate based on merits.

“During that period, a total of 27,641 Jigawa workers accessed the portal and placed their applications. This number far exceeded the initial target of 14,000 workers for the first batch.

“To reduce the number of applicants to a manageable size, the committee established selection criteria that are both fair to all applicants and designed to ensure efficient recovery of the loaned amount within 12 calendar months without overstretching the meagre resources of the beneficiaries,” he said.

(NAN)