The Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, says farmers now desire to return to their farms in the state, saying most of them are already back to farm.

Mr Bago added that he had offered to pilot the planned 500,000 hectares of agricultural production announced by President Bola Tinubu in his New Year message.

Mr Bago said this in a statement on Sunday after meeting with Mr Tinubu in Abuja.

He said Niger State was now the leading state in terms of the food security initiative of the president as it had already started the implementation of 250,000 hectares of dry season farming.

“We’ve already signed an agreement with some companies for off-take and just to keep him up to speed with what we’re doing in agriculture,” he said on his visit to the president.

“The president’s New Year’s speech laid emphasis on agriculture and also the 500,000 hectares the government is planning to farm this 2024.

“Niger State has also provided itself as a pilot state for that project, and we are also ambitious to also match with the Federal Government 500,000 for 500,000.”

He said the president was positive about it, adding that he was delighted with what the state was doing.

(NAN)