By; FUNMI ADERINTO, Kàduna
The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe has launched the Federal Government Emergency and Recovery Intervention Taskforce on the Ginger Blight Epidemic.
The inauguration was held at the Yar’adua Centre of Murtala Square and was attended by representative of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Engineer Abubakar Abdullahi, who chairs the Task Force, as well as the Executive Secretary of the National Agriculture Development Fund.
Also included in the task force, is the President of the National Ginger Farmers Association of Nigeria, and ginger farmers from the affected local government areas.
The Commissioner of Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, General Manager of Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency Mohammed Rili, and other senior government officials from Kaduna State Government were also present.
This task force, which includes members from the Federal Ministry Agriculture and Food Security, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Agriculture Development Fund, Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency, and other stakeholders from the private sector, has been established to investigate and implement preventive, mitigation, and corrective measures to address the epidemic and revitalize the ginger value chain in the affected states.
As the 2024 farming season approaches, the Federal Government Task Force is providing much-needed assistance to the affected farmers who suffered losses due to the 2023 ginger blight epidemic.
This support includes farm inputs like fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, and other necessary supplies to enable them to cultivate their land in the interim.
