By Ashiru Umar
The Project Coordinator of the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), Comrade Abdulrasheed Kofar Mata, on Wednesday flagged off a large-scale distribution of agricultural machinery aimed at transforming smallholder farming across Kano’s 44 local government areas.
Kofar Mata, who spoke during the flag-off ceremony held at one of the KSADP storage facilities in Kano, said the exercise reflects the project’s commitment to promoting modern agriculture through practical, community-level interventions.
He explained that the initiative is an expanded version of the Mega Media Field Day, an activity inherited from the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), designed to give journalists firsthand exposure to the project’s progress and impact.
According to him, the field day model has become even more crucial under KSADP due to the extensive investments being implemented with support from the Kano State Government, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF).
“Bringing the media to the field allows them to hear directly from the farmers and verify what we are doing. With a project of this magnitude, it is important for these achievements to be well documented,” he said.
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Kofar Mata revealed that KSADP has already procured 98 tractors complete with trailers, ploughs, and harrows. Ten have been commissioned at the mechanization center, eight were showcased at Wednesday’s event, and the remaining units will be deployed to additional mechanization hubs and community clusters across the state.
According to him, the project is rolling out hundreds of smaller but equally critical machines, including 410 mini tractors, 160 multi-crop reapers, 150 maize reapers, and 100 rice reapers, to ease labour, improve timeliness, and stimulate higher yields among farmers.
One of the standout interventions, he added, is the ongoing distribution of solar-powered irrigation pumps. KSADP has already deployed 1,600 units and has now initiated the process of releasing another batch of 1,900. By project completion, the number of distributed pumps is expected to reach about 3,500.
“These pumps will drastically reduce irrigation costs during dry-season farming and increase profitability for smallholders,” he added.
The coordinator reaffirmed KSADP’s commitment to modernising agriculture in Kano, noting that the interventions are tailored to boost productivity and support long-term sustainability across the state’s farming communities.
Representing the Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Danjuma Mahmud, the KSADP State Project Director, Mr. Ibrahim Garba, described KSADP as a multi-component project supporting crop production through SAA and KNARDA.
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He stressed that the items being distributed represent only a fraction of the project’s achievements.
According to him, under KSADP, about 100 millet collection centres have been built across the state at a cost of over ₦6 billion.
The project also constructed 20 slaughter houses valued at more than ₦2 billion, while the ongoing Dansoshiya grazing reserve is projected to cost about ₦3 billion. Additionally, irrigation development at the Watari/Kafin Chiri axis is estimated at ₦5 billion.
Garba added that over ₦6 billion has been invested in improving the livelihoods of vulnerable populations through various partnership schemes. Road constructions across several parts of Kano also gulped more than ₦9 billion.
At the Kano Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO), four rice processing machines were distributed to two beneficiaries from Kura and Dawakin Kudu LGAs.
The recipients, Nazifi Muhammad (Kura) and Abdulhadi Yusif (Dawakin Kudu), expressed gratitude for being selected after what they described as a rigorous screening process. They pledged to use the equipment, given to them free of charge, to strengthen their productivity and skills.
As the Media Field Day of the KSADP/SAA progressed into its second day, the activities and showcases underscored the scale of investments and impact achieved over the five-year support project.
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With a strong partnership involving the Kano State Government, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the LLF, the “Flag-off of the Distribution of Agricultural Machines/Equipment Support” highlighted the commitment to strengthening agricultural livelihoods across Kano State.
The event reaffirmed the project’s central mission, empowering smallholder farmers with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities needed to drive sustainable growth long after the initiative winds down.