Uba Sani Distributes Agricultural Support Packages to 5,000 Cooperatives

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has distributed agricultural intervention packages to 5,000 cooperative groups as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s livestock sector and position Kaduna as the agricultural and livestock hub of Northern Nigeria.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony of the livestock intervention programme on Thursday, the governor said his administration remains committed to transforming Kaduna into a centre of innovation, productivity and inclusive growth in agriculture.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, Sani noted that the initiative reflects the government’s determination to build a state that can feed itself, support the nation’s food supply and compete in global agricultural markets.

During the event, the government distributed 500 solar-powered freezers equipped with panels, inverters and batteries, 300 feed millers, 3,000 bags of poultry feed and 200,000 day-old chicks to organised farmer cooperatives across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Sani said the intervention would benefit 5,000 farmers organised into cooperatives of 10 members each, adding that the equipment and supplies would enhance productivity, reduce losses, improve product quality and increase income opportunities, particularly for women and youth involved in the livestock value chain.

He explained that Kaduna had made deliberate investments to strengthen agricultural value chains, expand farmers’ access to modern technology and create an enabling environment for farmers to thrive.

According to the governor, the state has already recorded significant progress in livestock development, including the rehabilitation of abattoirs and slaughter slabs, construction of veterinary clinics and boreholes in pastoral communities, and deployment of mobile veterinary teams to provide timely animal healthcare.

He added that vaccination campaigns carried out by the government have protected more than 850,000 cattle, 250,000 sheep and goats, 250,000 poultry and 5,000 dogs against transboundary diseases.

The governor also disclosed that the state had earlier distributed 100 residue crushers and 50 fodder choppers to cooperatives and pastoralist groups to convert crop residues into livestock feed and improve feed availability.

Other initiatives, he said, include the establishment of pasture demonstration fields and the distribution of mineral licks, molasses and feed supplements to enhance livestock nutrition and weight gain.

In pastoral settlements, the government has installed solar-powered boreholes with livestock drinking troughs to ensure year-round water supply and reduce seasonal migration pressures.

Sani further said that dairy farmers had been provided with milking cans and tricycles to facilitate the transportation of milk to collection centres, reducing post-harvest losses while improving product quality and farmers’ earnings.

He noted that the livestock programmes complement other agricultural reforms of his administration, including the Tallafin Noma (A Koma Gona) initiative, which has supported 69,000 crop farmers with improved seeds, fertilisers and mechanisation tools.

The state government has also implemented dry and wet season agricultural empowerment programmes, supplying solar-powered irrigation pumps and farm inputs to support year-round farming for nearly one million smallholder farmers.

According to the governor, the state is also improving farm-to-market access by constructing rural roads across various zones to reduce transportation costs and post-harvest losses.

He added that Kaduna is laying the groundwork for large-scale agricultural processing and export through the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) and the Agricultural Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC).