By George Mgbeleke

In an effort to revive the agriculture sector in the seven North West States, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator (Dr) Barau I. Jibrin on Thursday announced his plans to raise 558 young farmer millionaires this farming season this year.

Under a program tagged: Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN), three young farmers will be selected from each of the 186 local government areas of the seven states that comprise the North West geopolitical zone: Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara.

Each beneficiary will receive N5 million to invest in farming during this season. The total sum of N2.79 billion will be disbursed to the beneficiaries.

Addressing members of the Senate Press Corps at the National Assembly on Thursday, he said BIARN was established to boost the agricultural sector towards attaining food security in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda.

Speaking through his Special Adviser on Policy and Monitoring, Professor Bashir Muhammad Fagge, the deputy President of Senate said the initiative is being coordinated by his foundation, “the Barau I Jibrin Foundation (BIJF).

His statement reads in part, “Food security is paramount and at the top of the agenda of progressive nations globally. Without it, you are insecure at the individual, family, local government, state, and country levels.

“If you recall, decades ago, the North, especially the North West, was our country’s food basket, producing most of the agricultural products for consumption by the people nationwide and even for export to our neighbouring countries. However, that has become history.

“To change the narrative and harness the enormous arable land across the seven North West states, I have developed the initiative of empowering 558 young farmers in the North West geopolitical zone for the first phase of the programme.”

Continuing he said,”The Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN) programme aims to use the vast arable land in the geopolitical zone to restore its agricultural prominence and achieve food security.

“My foundation, the Barau I Jibrin Foundation (BIJF), is partnering with a relevant national financial institution to implement this programme.

“It will interest you to know that we have had a series of meetings with the institution’s management. Arrangements for the project’s launch are almost complete.
“The initiative’s targeted April this year to launch fully, ahead of this year’s farming season.

“Under the BIARN, three young farmers will be selected from each of the 186 local government areas of the seven states that comprise the North West geopolitical zone—Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara.

“Each selected beneficiary will receive an interest-free N5 million loan to invest in farming during this year’s cropping season. The sum of N2.79 billion will be disbursed to the beneficiaries.

“The breakdown of the beneficiaries per state is as follows: Kaduna 69, Kano 132, Kebbi 63, Katsina 102, Jigawa 81, Sokoto 69 and Zamfara 42.

“The beneficiaries of this scheme would be guided in cultivating maize and rice crops. This would essentially boost the desired yield of the two crops, reduce the cost of food items, and enhance food security in the zone and nationwide.

“In 2023, Nigeria produced about 8.9 million metric tons of paddy rice, the highest since 2010. However, this quantity is far too low to meet the acute needs of the continuously growing populace. The central concept behind this scheme is to revolutionise agricultural production in northwestern Nigeria by empowering youths with a background in agriculture.

“My brainchild, the BIARN, was conceived to boost agricultural production in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda”.