Kano state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Galilee National Management Institute of Israel for water resource management and in particular the use of dams for irrigation.
Shortly after signing the agreement on behalf of the state government, the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje stressed that the state is ready to develop irrigation to enhance the competitiveness of the local economy and to alleviate poverty.
“Kano state has agricultural resource endowments comprising of about 1, 754, 200 hectares of arable land, 982, 600 hectares of inland waters and 72, 072 hectares of forest cover, which are grossly underutilized for food security, job creation and export” he maintained.
He stressed that the state has irrigation facilities including over 20 dams, which if put into good use, cannot only feed the state but also provide huge agricultural output for export.
The governor stated that because Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria and owing to its dwindling allocation from the Federation Account coupled with the Federal government’s policy on limiting importation of rice and wheat, signing of the MOU with the Israeli institute could not have come at a better time than now.
Dr. Ganduje stressed pointed out that his administration has taken steps to encourage wheat and rice cultivation in the state throughout the year hoping that the farmers in Kano would learn from the expertise that the Israeli institute would offer.
The governor also indicated interest to work with the Israeli partners in the area of domestic animals’ insemination to enhance the quality of dairy products, meat and allied goods in the state.
Earlier, the President of the Institute, Dr Joseph Shevel said that the institution is a leading public training organization that offers advanced courses to professionals in several fields, assuring that with the MoU, it would train the indigenes of Kano on technical proficiency in irrigation. He announced that the institute would offer free scholarships to 100 indigenes of the state.
Dr. Shevel said his country Israel is highly advanced in agriculture, pointing out that about 50 percent of pepper consumed in Europe is exported from Israel. He was optimistic that the relationship between Kano state government and his institute would be mutually beneficial.
Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, mni, fnge
Director – General, Media and Communications,
To the Executive Governor, Kano state
