‘Agric largest employer of labour in Kaduna State’

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It revealed that agriculture is the single largest employer of labour in Kaduna contributing 79.6 per cent of employment and 36.7 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2015.

The Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics Agriculture Structure Survey report released on Tuesday showed that agriculture is the most important non-oil economic activity in the state.

It revealed that agriculture is the single largest employer of labour in Kaduna contributing 79.6 per cent of employment and 36.7 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2015.

The Statistician General, Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics (KDBS), Basheer Bature, who released the report in Kaduna, said the survey would provide an effective baseline data and information for government policies and private sector participation in the agricultural sector.

He noted that relevant data on the types of agricultural activities practiced in the state and the number of people involved in each activity was not available, which necessitated the need for the baseline survey, which is the first of its kind.

“The study revealed that crop production is the main occupation among the farming households in the state, with raining season farming as the common practice while tomatoes is the major crop planted during the dry season.

“There are 1,322,226 farming households in the State; the result showed that 1,316,937 farming households engaged in rainy season farming in 2016 compared to 136,189 households who were into dry season farming,” he added.

While stressing the need to boost the production of maize, rice, guinea corn, soya beans and beans being cultivated in the state, he said that 69.4 per cent of farmers used local seeds for planting, adding that there are 2,045,506.18 hectares of upland land and 883,717.47 hectares of lowland.

The study also revealed that 76.1 percent of farmers engage in farming for subsistent and commercial purposes with 14.8 per cent for home consumption and 5.3 per cent for commercial purposes.

“The Agricultural Structure Survey, which was conducted in all the 23 local councils of the state was carried out in conjunction with Enhancing Nigeria Advocacy for Better Business Environment (ENABLE 2) consultants who administered questionnaires and got inputs from stakeholders in agriculture across the state.”