By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has urged farmers who specialize in the production of watermelon to continue to be resilient and work hard to bolster their production.
The governor made the call while interacting with watermelon farmers who engage in dry season farming of watermelon at Unguwar Dikko village in Kalgo local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Bagudu, who was excited with the huge piles of water melon he saw displayed by the farmers most of whom were young men, urged them not to relent in making sure they boost production, particularly at this period of dry season farming.
He sought to find out more about the production of watermelon, harvest and challenges, while he fervently prayed for a bumper harvest. "Well done, well done. How are you doing? Keep it up. I hope there is gain in the production and I can see lots of young men. May God bless your business and do not relent. Keep it up. May God bless your business," he averred.
Governor Bagudu gave financial assistance to the farmers towards motivating them to improve their production tempo.
Alhaji Haruna Hirishi Unguwar Dikko, who responded on behalf of the farmers, expressed delight with the visit of the governor, particularly his words of encouragement to them. He told the governor of the significant gain in the production of watermelon fruit, as well as providing gainful employment to the youths in the area.
"We thank God Sir, Alhamdulillah. We have harvested these ones within 3 months, now getting ready for the market. We pay over N50,000 per month for watering but the gain after harvest is huge," he said with great elation.
The Governor then met the Village Head of Unguwar Dikko, Hakimi Umaru, and promised to direct immediate repairs of the dilapidated well in the area. NNL.
