Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to extend its agricultural policies and assistance to the large-scale growth of date palms in the Northern part of Nigeria.
Masari who said this while launching the 600 Hectare-Date Palm Planting Campaign in Katsina State, organised by the National Association of Date Palm Farmers, Processors, and Marketers of Nigeria, NADAFPAM, in collaboration with the state government, said pharmaceutical companies in the country will benefit more and enhance their products when it is planted in large quantities.
Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree, which is grown in many tropical regions of the world and do not grow on all kinds of soil.
Some parts of Northern Nigeria are blessed with such rich lands that can aid its planting and growth.
It is against this backdrop that the Katsina State government has decided to venture into the planting of date palms, beginning with 600 hectares of land at Ajiwa in the Mani Local Government Area, hoping to extend it to 5,000 hectares, shortly.
The CBN has, however, been called upon to key into the business of dates farming, with necessary support and incentives.
The Deputy Governor, Mannir Yakubu, who doubles as the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said several training packages have been lined up for the youths across the 34 local government areas, who are going to be fully involved in line with the state’s Agricultural Restoration Project.
The President, NADAFPAM, Dr. Hussaini Dikko, said they decided to go into the dates plantation to take the youths off the streets and control desert encroachment.