Jigawa Government is collaborating with Saudi Arabian date palm production group and Netay Agro-Tech, a Nigeria-based agricultural business to boost date palm production in the state.
Gov. Umar Namadi made this known on Tuesday when he received a delegation from one of Saudi Arabia’s largest agricultural firms which specialises in date palm plantation and farm management.
The Leader of the delegation, Mr Abdul’aziz Abdurrahman-Al-Awf, reiterated the group’s commitment to bringing state-of-the-art farming techniques to Jigawa.
He said “We want to ensure a year-round date palm production, rather than seasonal yields and our collaboration will involve extensive farmer training and youth empowerment.
“We also want to introduce some of Saudi Arabia’s most valuable and high-yielding date varieties to be produced in Jigawa.”
The main purpose of the visit, he said, was to deliberate on a strategic partnership to enhance Jigawa’s date palm production through advanced agricultural expertise, technology transfer and investment in large-scale farming.
“This partnership will not only increase the number of dates produced in Jigawa but also significantly improve quality, making the state a potential hub for date farming in Nigeria and Africa,” he added.Responding, Namadi expressed his administration’s support for the initiative, saying it aligns with the state’s agricultural development agenda.
He said “we warmly welcome you to Jigawa State and appreciate your interest in working with us. As a government, we are fully committed to this collaboration because it will greatly benefit our people.
“Your visit and willingness to partner us in establishing date farms across the state, as well as improving our wheat production, align perfectly with our vision for agricultural development.”
He reaffirmed his administration’s readiness to provide necessary resources to ensure successful implementation of the project and expressed confidence that the collaboration would yield remarkable benefits and position Jigawa as leading player in the global date palm industry.
Abubakar Musa-Bamai of the Netay Agro-Tech, highlighted the extensive groundwork already done, including soil analysis and consultations with research institutions.
He announced that four highly sought-after date palm varieties of Mejdool (Meju), Barhi (Bari), Sukkari (Sukari) and Ajwa, were identified as ideal for large-scale cultivation in Jigawa.
During the visit, the Saudi delegation, alongside representatives from Netay Agro-Tech, toured various locations across the state.
NAN
