Niger state government says it has concluded plans to re-establish, Grains Board (GB) that would help in checking the activities of middle men causing undue increase in the cost of grains ahead of the cropping season and for citizens’ consumption.

 Establishing of the Grains’ Board, according to the state commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa is also aimed at creating jobs for jobless youths and also reduce poverty to the barest minimal among the teeming productive youths in the state.

 Vatsa in an interview said the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration is concerned about the global economic situation which is largely responsible for the nations’ dwindling economy, Niger state in particular is grappling with and his office also has the mandate to inform citizenry of the policies and programmes of the state present government.

 “The activities of middle men has become a source of concern to the state government hence the need to evolve measures to save citizenry from abject poverty”, Vatsa said, adding that the current administration is doing all that is within its powers to reduce sufferings among citizens.

Jonathan Vatsa told journalists that, “The Grains Board coming back into being will help the state government to checkmate some group of people acting as middle men that constitutes themselves into a force deploying all manner of tricks to exploit farmers, this must to stop”.

While calling on citizens, especially farmers to embrace the Board which was abandoned by previous administrations, Vatsa said the Sani Bello led government is giving agriculture topmost priority because of the importance of the sector to the life of every Nigerlite as a way of diversifying the economy.

 Niger state government, according to him wants to make good use of the opportunity created by the verse fertile land to preserve grains towards encouraging mass food production for internal and export purposes to cushion the effects of global fall in oil price.

The good idea of the Grains Board, Vatsa said is that, ‘whatever farmers produce, government will buy. Government will identify farmers or a particular product in all the three Senatorial zones and they will be assisted to produce such crops to attract international markets’.

“For instance, zone A is known for the production of rice and banana, zone B produces yam and zone C is into cotton and rice production and at the end of the day the state will generate enough revenue needed to embark on developmental purposes”, adding that all that the government intends to do is to ensure that cost of grains is subsidized.

The APC government has practically demonstrated its commitments in agriculture, youth and women empowerment as contained in the budget recently presented to the State Assembly, this according to him prompted the resolve to embark on people oriented programmes tailored towards ensuring that the people get value for the lean finances at the state’s disposal.