The National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) has donated 45 13-horsepower tillers and 1,250 safety jackets to farmers in Plateau.

The commission’s managing director, Abubakar Yelwa, presented the items to the beneficiaries on Tuesday in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Represented by Pam Davou, the commission’s acting director of planning, research, and statistics, Mr Yelwa said the gesture aimed to support farmers in the state.

Mr Yelwa said the beneficiaries were largely drawn from communities that are housing N-HYPPADEC facilities in the state.

The managing director explained that the safety jackets would largely be distributed to the fish farmers in the state.

“We are doing a lot in the area of youth empowerment, education, health, and security, and today we are here providing succour to farmers.

“So, what we are doing today is to support our farmers with these items towards improving farming activities in the state,” he said.

Mr Yelwa, who said beneficiaries would be in clusters, called on them to put the items into good use.

Earlier, Elisha Yilkudi, the permanent secretary of the Plateau Ministry for Agriculture, commended N-HYPPADEC for the gesture and described it as timely.

He particularly described the gesture as a collaborative effort between the federal and state governments to address the manpower deficit in the agricultural sector.

“As a state, we want to collaborate more, and in the course of doing this, many people will know what N-HYPPADEC is all about,” Mr Yilkudi said.

(NAN)