Nasarawa State Government has commenced planting on an additional 3, 500 hectares of land for rice cultivation in Ayarkeke in Awe Local Government Area.
Governor Abdullahi Sule physically joined the planters to start the new farming season, with his administration now extending the rice farm to 5, 500 hectares.
Recall that during the last cropping season, the state government cultivated 2, 000 hectares of rice in Jangwa, also in Awe Local Government Area.
Flagging off the planting season in Ayarkeke, Governor Sule said the expansion of the government rice farm became necessary following the call by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu on the state to sustain its efforts in boosting agriculture for food security.
“Today, we are on the other side of Ayarkeke, which is at the border with the Obi Local Government Area. We are clearing another 3,500 hectares of land, and today, we are planting. After the rain yesterday, after the visit of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, if you remember, Mr. President clearly reminded Nasarawa State to continue to focus on agriculture. It is in line with that that we are going ahead with this expansion of the additional 3000 hecatares,” he stated.
The Governor used the air to clear the air regarding complaints from local farmers in the area who are claiming ownership of a section of the farmland already cleared by the government.
He explained that the 3, 500 hectares of land was a virgin land belonging to the state government but that his administration is willing to accommodate local farmers by restricting farming activities to areas where there is no dispute over ownership.
“This area used to be total bush. Nobody has planted anything here. That is why you are seeing piles of wood in the middle of the farm. We have planted, and we are hoping that very soon we will come and apply chemicals, and after that, we will come back to apply fertilizer. From there, we wait for the rice to grow.
“It is one of the reasons why I came. There were complaints from the Tiv community that we were clearing part of their land. That is why I asked the traditional ruler of Ayarkeke whether the area of complaints extends to the area where we are planting now. I asked to find out about the actual area of dispute, and he said it is deeper inside where we have already cleared. I have now instructed our team that any area in dispute should not be cultivated,” he said.
According to the Governor, with Nasarawa State covering a land mass of 27,000 square kilometres, with less than 20 percent being cultivated, there is no need to create any problem over ownership of 10 or 5 hectares of land.
“These people complaining don’t have even 5 hectares of land. There is no need to create needless tension. Anywhere, even after we clear, and then as long as the people are complaining it’s their land, we should wait, we should not plant until we are able to resolve it,” he added.
