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    HomeAgro InnovationsFG moves for establishment of 44 soil testing labs in Kano 

    FG moves for establishment of 44 soil testing labs in Kano 

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) has moved to establish soil testing laboratories across the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano State.

    This was made known by the Minister of State of the ministry, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi during a sensitization and advocacy on the need to set up labouratories in each Local Government Area of the State.

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    Represented by the State Coordinator, Isah Isyaku Hotoro, he said the move is to identify the nutrient content of the soil and to know what to do with it.

    “This exercise is very important in the sense that farmers need to know the nutrients of their soil to improve productivity of the soil and, of course, the economy from that soil. Over the years, we have been having issues with this kind of thing.

    “Farmers do not even know what and what to do to have optimum productivity from their farmland. That is why we make this move to improve their productivity and their economic returns. The federal government is spearheading one of the establishment of these soil laboratories here in Kano because in last year, soil testing equipment was brought to Kano, and this testing equipment will soon be established, will soon be installed in one of the local governments for the benefit of farmers from Kano State.”

    He therefore called on the state government, private sectors to key into the effort for sustainability and for optimum results.

    “This is supposed to be a kind of a Public Private Partnership (PPP), we need the intervention of the NGOs and, of course, collaborative partnership with the state government and other relevant stakeholders so that we could be able to cover the whole state.

    “The federal government cannot spearheadedly say that it is going to cover the 44 local governments because it requires a lot of financial investment. It is a capital-intensive program, so we need the collaborative partnership with the state government, even the local governments, if they could be able to key in for the benefit of our people.”

    Also speaking, the Director, Agricultural Land and Climate Change Management Services, Mr Oshadiya Olanipekun who was represented by his Special Assistant, Ojelabi Taiwo said the effort is to bring the laboratory services closer to the grassroots – farmers not only at the local level but at community level.

    “They don’t need to travel to Abuja or Kaduna before they get their soil samples for analysis. We are advocating for each local government, not only the local government, even each community, each village to have a soil laboratory, and many laboratories.

    “The foundation of successful agricultural practices, which is farming, is laid on effective and efficient soil laboratory, soil analysis. Because before you enter into the farm for analysis, when you acquire a farmland, you are supposed to collect the sample of the soil there and take it for laboratory analysis to be able to know, to be able to get acquainted with the soil nutrients that are available in that particular soil.

    “It is the knowledge of the soil nutrients and the characteristics of the soil, the physical characteristics, chemical characteristics and biological characteristics that will inform you and take decisions on the type of agriculture, the type of crops that will be planted on that particular soil. Because this is what will increase your productivity, profitability, and then it will reduce soil and land degradation.”

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