The chairman,
Irrigation Farmers Association in Katsina State, Salisu Lema-Jikamshi,
has called on government to facilitate the establishment of tomato
processing companies to create jobs.
Mr. Lema-Jikamshi
made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
in Funtua, Katsina State, on Friday, and noted that irrigation farming
provided job opportunities to many Nigerians.
He said although
irrigation farmers had been trying their best to produce onions,
tomatoes, fruits and other vegetables, the difficulty in preserving
farm harvests had been hampering farmers’ activities.
He said that when
the farm products were processed, they could be sold locally and
internationally to boost farmers’ income and government revenue.
Another farmer,
Shafi’u Nabinbi, commended the government for dredging Musawa Dam and
called for its expansion to accommodate more farmers.
Mr. Nabinbi
explained that irrigation farming encourages self-reliance and checks
the exodus of youth from rural to urban areas in search of jobs.
