The Yobe State Government, led delegation by Governor Mai-Mala Buni to Turkey, engaged with Turkish investors to develop irrigation farming and meat processing facilities in the state to enhance food sufficiency and security to meet domestic food needs of the state, generate employment and export some for revenue to drive economic growth.
Mamman Mohammed, DG of press and Media Affairs to the Governor, revealed this in a statement made available in Damaturu, Yobe State capital, on Friday.
The Governor assured the management of AFKO Pivot Irrigation Systems, saying: “We have the lands, the youthful population for adequate labour, and water resources for large irrigation projects.”
“We will deploy resources to make irrigation farming attractive, profitable, and a major source of employment for our youth”.
“Government would support individual farmers and cluster farming groups to cultivate food crops like corn, rice, and wheat”. The Governor also emphasised that “the government will facilitate the cultivation of cash crops, including Sesame seeds and groundnuts, among others”.
In his response, the General Manager of AFKO, Abdulgani Affura, assured that his company would provide all the required equipment to develop irrigation in the state.
Abdulgani Affura assured the Governor, “We are working in 45 countries across the world with a few in Africa; we will manufacture the required equipment most suitable to your environment.”
Similarly, the delegation had discussions with meat processing companies to take advantage of the large livestock deposit in the state.
“Yobe State is a hub of livestock deposits in Nigeria; we will take advantage of the large deposit to process and export meat to other parts of Nigeria and abroad,” Buni said.
“We are committed to processing both ruminants and cattle meats to provide healthy meat locally and internationally,” he added.
Ismail Bagdu, General Manager, Teknotes Tasarim, said the company would provide modern abattoirs with modern equipment for a sound package system suitable for exports. At the same time, the international manager of CEMSAN, Melik Ceyhun, also expressed the commitment of their company to partner with the Yobe state government to boost the state’s economy with the available livestock deposits.