Katsina – The Katsina State Government is to collaborate with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to revive cotton cultivation in the state.
Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, the state Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Agriculture disclosed this on Thursday at a news briefing organised by the Katsina State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Yakubu said the state government and CBN decided to revive large scale cotton farming, the state being one of the leading cotton producers in the country.
Yakubu said already, the government had approached the bank for support to revive cotton production.
“The CBN had agreed to sponsor cotton cultivation to empower the local farmers.
The CBN, under the policy will provide the cotton seedling, fertiliser and other farming inputs to the farmers.
“It will also provide insecticides and pesticides for spraying of the cotton while under cultivation,’’ he said.
The deputy governor further said that after harvest, the bank would buy the produce under an agreed price to protect the farmers from exploitation by middlemen.
“The farmers after the harvest will have a readymade market as the CBN will purchase the produce and the farmers are at liberty to sell the excess at the free markets,’’ he said.
He said the state government would play supervisory role to make sure that only genuine farmers participate in the programme. (NAN)