Jigawa, China’s Hunan province sign deal to boost agriculture

Jigawa State government, on Thursday, signed bilateral agreement with the People’s Government of Hunan Province in central China to boost the state’s capacity in rice production.

The agreement was signed by governors of Jigawa and Hunan, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and Xu Dazhe respectively on the sidelines of the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which kicked off in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province.

Badaru told Daily Trust that the deal would enable the two parties benefit from their potentials in the area of agriculture, industrialization and education.

Hunan is known as one of the world’s best producers of rice. The governor said the state was in talks with the Hunan provincial government on how to produce rice using the best technology to increase yield and make it more profitable.

He assured that his government would follow-up on the agreement to ensure full implementation.

Malam Ibrahim Gambo, Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, expressed optimism that the partnership would give Jigawa’s highly-valued crops more access to Chinese market, while also increases the export of Chinese agricultural technology to the state.