African Rice : The Target Of Middle Rima Irrigation Scheme
Following the campaign to have a nation without such narrations revolving on insufficient rice for consumption, but to have its surplus, refined and lucrative finished products, the management and the farmers of the Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Scheme, MRVIS, Goronyo in Sokoto State have started championing the course of the African-Rice programmes against the 2019/2020 cropping calander.
In this view, the scheme management under the tutulage of the Project Manager, Lawal Moh'd Mafara, in collaboration with the Water Users Association led by Ibrahim Abubakar, have on Wednesday 20th November, 2019 concluded plan to form an African-Rice Association which would focus on how to make the dreams of agency a reality.
This initiative according to them, is to be able to compete with their counterparts in various localities of the country, since the idea will as well earn them more democratic dividends and supports from government and non-governmental
organizations in order to facilitate their grassroot development.
The Scheme resolved to work strictly with the registered members of African-Rice Association, who have their identity cards, showing that they are the full fledge members of the Association.
The Association was said, would focus on the running the programmes connected with African-Rice in the axis, and every revenue generated will be on the decision of the members as non-registered members will always be cut from the shares, said, to be centered on advancing the membership and the scheme.
Recall that African-Rice is currently building a trial-rice mill in the area, where a refined rice would be processed by the farmers. This however, has led to the motion propelling the leadership of MRVIS, Goronyo, to continue garnering idea to sustain and improve the mill when handed over to them. To them, if the individual farmers rely only on government or aiding non-governmental organizations, the project may be rendered futile in no distant future, henceforth; all farmers were advised to join the Association in order to make the project more laudable as at when they would take charge.
It is important to note that all effort to keep transforming irrigation management in Nigeria, as far as the present administration is concerned in the area of agriculture has gradually gained ground in the area.
Because, the government policy on transforming agricultural practice has brought a diverse method into folds, and at the same time, individuals, groups and non-governmental organizations have not been left out, as they continue contributing in different ways to sustain the agricultural revolutionary policies.
Though, as many are committed to make the ugly stories heralded in the country against her economic statue a thing of the past, by laying foundations bringing in more substantive ways on how to customize a modernized and a viable agricultural practice in the country, as planned by the government machineries through their technical applications and directions, some are too reluctant to join the revolutionary movement.
People in the rural areas have nothing more to be proud of, if not joining the Federal government's agricultural policy as this practice is today their major occupation that stands chance to sustain them and make other people around them to feel their relevance in the society.
Consequently, in Goronyo Local Lovernment Area of Sokoto State, it was gathered that, the realities surrounding the backdrops have made the Executive members of Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Scheme's Water Users' Association (WUA) to have risen in the recent time by beaming up the collection of water fees used by the rural farmers for the irrigation of their crops.
The Chairman of WUA MRVIS, Goronyo, Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar has hinted that, "it's expected that there will be 100% increase compared to previous exercise."
According to him, the secret of the success is the cooperation among stakeholders namely: 'the WUA with their various levels of leadership from Field Carnal (FC) members, Sector members, as well as the support of the Scheme Management under the watch of Lawal Moh'd Mafara, in line with the direction of the Managing Director, Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority and Security agencies, explained that the Scheme in their collection of the water fees are currently carrying the water users along.
In a furtherance, the Chairman said, "in the previous years' collection of water fees, they were able to realize a little above N5m but are hopeful that this time around it will hit far more than that".
He therefore, solicited for more support from the TRIMING Project in the areas of sensitization and mobilization to further strengthen the Water Users Association in Goronyo Axis.
Thus, members of the Association has adjudged that, the recent step taking by the management of the scheme will boost the relationship of the management and staff of Middle Rima Valley Scheme with the association and all the farmers in Goronyo council area, as according to them, their meetings always witnessed a friendly atmosphere; expressing joy to everybody who has in one way or the other given support in sustaining the dreams of Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority and the Ministry of Water Resources progressively in the country.
Comments
Post a Comment