Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has given approval for the recruitment of additional extension workers to increase manpower and expertise in the wheat value chain in the state.
Those to be employed are university graduates and holders of National Diploma in Agricultural Science, Agric Economics, Crop Science and related disciplines.
Governor Tambuwal made this known in a statement issued in Sokoto in Tuesday by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam.
The governor said having introduced wheat to farmers in the state, government would continue to show keen concern for its development.
Tambuwal said, “Eighty persons will be employed in the first phase of the recruitment, with more to follow in due course. Those to be employed will aid wheat farmers make informed decisions, especially as they engage with companies buying their products after harvests.
“The overall objective is to ensure that we achieved the ratio of one extension worker to 500 farmers. As such, more people will be employed in subsequent phases of the recruitment exercise.”
The governor said that the extension officers would also lead consultation with farmers and the various business concerns, who had shown interest in partnering with the government to develop agriculture in the state.
According to him, the extension workers would be trained in latest trends in the business and would play a key role in efforts to modernise the agricultural sector in Sokoto State.
In 2016, the state government trained 115 local government workers on modern agricultural extension services.
The workers were drawn from each of the 23 local government areas of the state.
The statement said government would continue to engage farmers with a view to increasing yields and tackling challenges that may arise in the sector.
