The Director, Agricultural Services, Kaduna State Agricultural Development Project (KADP), Yakubu Umar, has disclosed it plans to introduce production of crops through the use of organic fertilisers to reduce cases of human diseases caused by food contamination.
National Daily had report that the European Union has ban some Nigerian food items due to excessive chemicals found in them.
Umar who further disclosed that the programme would commence with the production of organic ginger and cowpea as a pilot programme, said that the process would reduce farmers’ dependence on chemical fertilisers, insecticides and Herbicides for crop production.
The KADP director said that recent research had shown that the use of such chemicals had negatively affected the quality of both the crops and the soil and that the use of chemicals had also increased food contamination leading to increase in human diseases such as cancer, Kidney, lungs and liver infections.
He said the measure would also enhance the performance of the nation’s foodstuff in the international market as it will attract more investments into the sector in the state and will bring more employment opportunities for the youth and women.
Umar also revealed that the state government would embark on a seed production programme in selected communities in the 255 wards of the state and that the initiative is intended to address the seed challenges being faced by farmers in the state.
He further disclosed that the state government had appropriated funds in the 2016 budget to finance the programme, adding that communities would be supported to engage in the production of various seeds of economic advantage to the state.