The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang, has distributed pumping machines and other farming implements to promote dry season farming in his senatorial district.

The Senator, representing the Plateau Central Senatorial District, while speaking in Jos on Friday with Journalists at the venue of the distribution said the gesture was aimed at tackling hunger and ensuring food security in the zone and the state at large throughout the year.

He added that apart from farming during the rainy season, there was also the need to encourage dry season farming.

According to him, the pumping machines were purchased to lessen the burden of farmers who engage in dry season farming; farming in such a season could be tedious if there is no means of sufficient water supply for crops to grow.

“I come from one of the most rural communities in Plateau State. I understand the needs of my people because I live among them, interact with them, and know where it pinches the most.

“I also recognise that even a small intervention in the right area can make a significant difference in their lives.

“This project is driven by the potential I see in my people. Our senatorial district experiences a regular rainy season between May and August, which supports agriculture. However, the long dry season poses challenges.

“We have an abundance of land and natural water sources, making our environment suitable for both horticulture and irrigation farming.”

He said the primary aim was to enhance food production and economic opportunities, adding that the gesture was further being complemented by suitable fertilisers.

Given the breakdown,  Plang disclosed that 300 water pumping machines were distributed among 66 wards in the zone, adding that each ward is expected to get three adding that many communities practice cooperative farming where multiple farmers work together.

“A single pump can serve a group of ten farmers or an entire farming cluster, ensuring that more people benefit. My hope is that this will encourage communal cooperation among irrigation farmers, enabling them to work together to maximise production.”

Plang equally pointed out that over 100 Lister grinding machines of different sizes were doled out to people in the district and charged to them to use all the items distributed to them judiciously.

Other empowerment items distributed to the constituents include barbing equipment such as clippers and salon dryers along with accessories, Point of Sale machines (POS), and other items.

The senator also distributed assorted grains, such as rice, corn, millet, and others to the Muslims in the district.