By Yakubu Abubakar Gwagwarwa
The Kano State Agro–Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, implemented by the Sasakawa Africa Association, SAA, has showcased some of its key agricultural technologies across Gwarzo, Rimin Gado and Dawakin Tofa local government areas of Kano State.
Radio Nigeria correspondent reports that the activity is part of efforts by the project to assess the performance of facilities established for rural farmers, interact with beneficiaries and highlight achievements recorded as the project winds down.
During the field visit, the KSADP team, in company of journalists, inspected various processing and storage centres aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and boosting agro-processing enterprises.
At Jan Barde Sabon Gida community in Gwarzo Local Government Area, the Project Coordinator, Comrade Abdulrasheed Hamisu Kofarmata, said the aerated onion storage facility has become one of the most sought-after interventions, as farmers continue to request for its replication.
According to him, the project provides and installs the technology while communities donate land and erect the structure, a model he says promotes ownership and sustainability.
The Programme Officer for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture, Engineer Sadiq Hamman, explained that each storage unit contains two chambers capable of holding up to five metric tons of onions each. He stated that sixty-one units have so far been installed across the state, giving a combined capacity of nearly 300 metric tons.
Engineer Hamman noted that traditional storage causes losses ranging from 30 to 50 percent, while the new KSADP facility reduces that figure to between 10 and 12 percent through a ventilated chamber powered by a timer-controlled fan.
In Gulu community of Rimin Gado Local Government, the team inspected a hammer mill provided by the project for grain processing. The coordinator explained that the mills were given free, while beneficiaries provided the housing structure.
He added that women manage many of the forty-three agro-processing enterprises established across the state, thereby enhancing inclusion and youth employment.
On reaching farmers in remote areas, Comrade Kofarmata said KSADP works through a network of 854 extension agents drawn from government agencies, communities and commodity associations, equipped with motorcycles, tablets and stipends during the project’s active phase.
Beneficiaries also spoke on the impact of the interventions.
A farmer in Gwarzo, Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the onion storage facility has allowed him to store produce for months with minimal losses, improving his business.
In Gulu Town Rimin Gado Local government, Hannatu Muhammad, who operates a milling facility, said the support has increased patronage and strengthened her livelihood.
In Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, a 28-member women’s group that benefited from a tractor demonstration said they hire out the machine daily under supervision, helping to boost productivity in the area.
