Jigawa Strengths International Collaboration On Agriculture,As Corntech Seeds India Visits Dutse
From Abdullahi Idris,Dutse
The Jigawa State Government has continued to strengthen its international agricultural partnerships as the management team of CornTech Seeds India paid a courtesy visit to Government House, Dutse, to review ongoing collaborations in seed development, crop trials, and agricultural research.
The visit is part of a series of engagements between the state government and the Indian-based agricultural company, following earlier meetings and technical exchanges held in both India and Jigawa State aimed at advancing agricultural productivity and strengthening farmer support systems.
Discussions during the meeting focused on the progress recorded in ongoing seed trials, plans for technology transfer, research collaboration, and strategies for improving yields across major crops including rice, wheat, maize, and millet.
Speaking during the engagement, Governor Umar Namadi described the partnership as a strategic relationship with long-term potential for Jigawa State and the wider region.
“Thank you for sparing time to come to Jigawa again. When I was informed that you were around, I really felt very happy because it gave me a lot of hope that this partnership we are building is going to be successful.”
Governor Namadi noted that the consistency of the engagement reflects a shared commitment to achieving meaningful results.
“I want to assure you that the Jigawa State Government is equally serious about this partnership, and we will continue to work together,” he added.
The Governor also expressed optimism over the early results emerging from the crop trials already conducted within the state.
“What we heard about the performance of the varieties is already a major breakthrough. And what you intend to do in terms of increasing yields, training, capacity building, and bringing your technical staff to work closely with our people is a welcome development.”
He further emphasized Jigawa’s strategic position within Nigeria’s agricultural sector and its potential as a regional hub for agricultural innovation.
“Jigawa is strategically positioned. We are part of the northwestern states, which represent the largest agricultural zone in Nigeria in terms of population, land, and farming activities.”
“As of today, we are ranked number one in Nigeria in agriculture. This partnership therefore has the potential to extend beyond Jigawa and Nigeria to the wider West African continent.”
Earlier, the Managing Director of CornTech Seeds India, Mr. Venkateswarlu Yaganti, briefed the Governor on the progress of field trials conducted in collaboration with the Jigawa State Research Institute.
According to him, several rice and wheat varieties supplied by the company have shown encouraging performance under local conditions.
Referring to local Jigawa rice varieties tested at the company’s research facility in Hyderabad, India, he said: “We found them to be very promising varieties. They are not inferior to our own varieties, and we are currently improving and purifying them for commercial-scale seed production.”
He explained that the collaboration goes beyond seed supply and is focused on improving agricultural productivity through research, technology, and farmer education.
“Our goal is not only to showcase products, but also to demonstrate agronomic technologies that can improve yields,” he stated.
Mr. Yaganti also disclosed plans to support seed production, establish processing and cold storage facilities, and deploy technical personnel to support research and farmer training programmes within the state.
“Our long-term plan is not just to export seeds, but to develop production technology here in Jigawa, produce seeds locally, process them here, and distribute them to farmers across Nigeria and eventually West Africa.”
Also speaking during the meeting, the Director General of the Jigawa State Research Institute confirmed that several trial varieties had performed well under local environmental conditions, describing the results so far as encouraging.
