Nasarawa charges butchers on hygiene, Niger to help in rice farming

NASARAWA State Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, Alhaji Aliyu Yusuf has urged butchers in Karu Local Government Area to keep their abattoirs clean.

Yusuf, who gave the advice during an inspection tour of Karu Abattoir, said that the abattoirs needed to be in good condition in the interest of butchers, their customers and other people living in the environment.

The commissioner reminded the butchers that a clean environment would encourage patronage of their business.
Meanwhile, to encourage and boost rice and dry season farming in the state, Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has pledged improved rice seeds and implements.

The Governor, who made the pledge during an unscheduled visit to dry season farmers in Bina Village in Lapai Local Area Council of the state, was returning from Kogi State after attending eight days Fidau prayers of late Abubakar Audu, the late former Governor of Kogi state.

The governor, who was impressed by the activities of the farmers, asked them of their challenges with a view to assisting them and one of them, Alhaji Abdulkarim Usman said apart from the regular washing away of their farmland by flood, they are faced with lack of farm implements and fertilizers.

He told the Governor that because of the flood, which constantly wreak havoc on their farm produce, the villagers have decided to embark on dry and irrigation farming and therefore plead with the governor to assist them overcome some of these challenges.

Governor Bello then assured the farmers that his administration will do everything possible to assist them as a way of boosting dry season farming in the state, adding that, experts from the state Ministry of Agriculture will be sent to inspect the place and to offer proper recommendations to the government.

The Nasarawa State commissioner said, “I am here on a familiarisation visit of facilities under my ministry in order to boost food production as well as the revenue base and socio-economic development of the state. I want to use this medium to appeal to butchers to always keep their abattoirs clean.”
“They should know that clean environment will always attract more customers and this will be in the interest of the health of the people,” he said.

The commissioner also advised people who had been encroaching on government land to desist from doing so or face the full weight of the law.
“I want to advise people against encroachment of government land. Those who form the habit of engaging in farming or raising structures where government facilities are sited must desist or face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

He reiterated the commitment of the ministry to address the challenges confronting agricultural nurseries in the state.

The commissioner commended Governor Tanko Al-Makura for his agricultural programmes, saying they were aimed at fighting unemployment, and youth restiveness, as well as boosting food production.
The commissioner also inspected Wowyen Agricultural Nursery in Nasarawa Eggon town Akwanga Agricultural Nursery, Agricultural store in Garaku town.