KADUNA STATE:
NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Kaduna State is endowed with a wide range of natural resources,
which are awaiting development/investment on large commercial
scale. The natural resource potentials are grouped into
agriculture/forestry and livestock, and minerals.
Agriculture, Forestry and other Basic Activities
The agriculture and forest resources are enormous. On the gentle
rolling high plains, the tropical ferruginous soils have been
intensively used for cereal and cotton cultivation. Although the
soils are poor because of leaching and poor cover management, but
with good conservation and land management practices, it is
capable of supporting calcium-rich annual grass for livestock
development. In the north of latitude 10oN, the soil is good for
production of large quantities of cotton lint and seed for which
Soba, Makarfi, Kudan, Ikara, Kubau, Kauru and Lere LGAs are known.
Yam and maize have successfully been producing high yields with
the use of fertilizer in recent times, especially in Igabi, Giwa
and Birnin Gwari LGAs. In the well-watered southeastern part, the
rich darker soils are used for cultivating cereals, cassava, rice
and the famous southern Kaduna ginger ("Chitta in Hausa).
In the fadamas, the dark grey clay soils (vertisols) have become
highly valued and are focused on for intensive agricultural
activities especially during the dry season. Large areas of such
fadamas are being used for economically valuable market gardening
for growing tomatoes, chillies, sweet pepper, okra, onion, Irish
potato and sugar cane using traditional "shadoof" irrigation (in
the floodplains/fadama of Galma and Tubo basins). Presently, the
traditional irrigation scheme is too small and laborious to cope
with the rate of expansion and agricultural development of the
fadama lands. The State Government is intensifying feasibility
studies and seeking interested industrialists and agro-allied
companies to invest in the area. In April 1993, the State
Government approved the commissioning of pilot schemes for sugar
processing industry in Makarfi, Kudan, Ikara and Kubau LGAs using
the sugar cane grown under irrigation and rain systems.
Recently, grapevine growing has been introduced and has gained
wide acceptance on small but intensively cultivated farms. A few
large-scale vineyards have also been established on the lower
Galma valley near Zaria. Small farm holdings of ten to fifteen
vines produce between 200 and 300 kg. That these small farms
produce mainly for local markets, in Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and the
Federal Capital Territory, suggests that the state has
considerable potentials for vineyard development.
Except in some favourable localities along the riverine areas and
in the southern LGAs, there are limited forest resources. Much of
the woody shrubs in the northern parts have been felled for fuel
wood. Because of the annual bush fires during the long dry season,
the grass straw traditionally used for roofing in the rural areas
is becoming scarce. In the south, there are good stands of hard
tropical trees such as mahogany and raffia palm bushes. These are
still being exploited for building construction. State and local
governments are embarking on improving the vegetation cover in the
state by planting fast-growing and drought-resistant trees in
large plantations, called Forest Reserves.
Despite a substantial faction of the state's annual budget being
allocated to the development of agriculture, productivity is still
comparatively low. This is partly because of the shyness of the
State Government in getting involved in commercial agriculture and
partly because of the many different arms of the Ministry that
make demands on the limited financial resources. So, like the
Federal Government, Kaduna State has concentrated on encouraging
farmers, by providing certain capital-intensive infrastructure
(e.g. irrigation, earth dams like in the Tubo valley), supplying
them with improved seeds and subsidizing farm inputs. Since most
farmers lack the capital and are not ready to take risks, only a
handful of individuals (mostly retired military officers and top
civil servants) have involved themselves in medium-scale
commercial agriculture. Even so, majority only grows grains
(especially maize and beans) to meet local market demands or use
it for personal small livestock breeding.
An entrepreneur, UAC Farms, in the late 1980s, started investing
in commercial grain farming at Kidandan, some 90km east of Zaria
along Birnin Gwari Road. However, the venture is now producing
improved seeds for farmers, mainly maize, sorghum and rice.
Certainly, with increasing demands for cereals, livestock feeds
and as raw materials for breweries, and presently, because it is
practically non-existence in the state, commercial agriculture in
grains on a large scale will be highly profitable.
Despite the present poor rangeland conservation and management
practices, Kaduna State has the potentials to produce large
quantities and good quality livestock for consumption in the state
and for inter-state trade. Indeed, the area bounded by parallel
10o30' and longitude 8o00' westward, possesses development
potential for excellent rangeland to support large-scale livestock
production. The National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI)
at Shika near Zaria also offers good veterinary/technical advice
and services. There is good infrastructure already established for
good take-off of beef, mutton, pork, poultry and diary products in
large quantities for national markets. Furthermore, based on the
livestock rearing habits, love for it as food, and a probably
large market for pork in the area and many southern states, there
is need for a good piggery industry in the southern Kaduna area.
Livestock
Livestock resources in the state are still on a small scale, and
are used mainly to raise cash during emergencies or meet demands
during religious festivals. Based on the 1991 livestock survey in
urban Zaria and its rural fringe alone, there were over 16,000
heads of cattle (zebu), about 180,000 goats, 138,000 sheep and
rams, 10,000 pigs, 55,000 rabbits and over 880,000 birds (poultry
mainly chicken, kept in commercial farm pens and on traditional
free-range in compounds). In the southern parts, pig rearing is
dominant. The number of pigs in the area is not known. However,
considering the urban livestock surveys in Zaria and Kaduna in
1991, most of the pigs are kept and owned by people from Jama'a,
Sanga, Zango Kataf, Jaba, Kachia and Kagarko LGAs.
Mineral
In Birnin Gwari LGA, the graphite, kyanite and rutile reported to
be in large quantities are good sources of raw materials for
pencils and welding electrodes and ceramic industries. Even the
ease to mine magnetite/haematite in the same locality is still
being exploited locally for making local iron implements; but it
has the potential to support small to medium furnace for
production of iron billets that can in turn be used in small scale
industries. Also, some broad river valleys in the northwestern
quadrant are rich sources of sand and granite rocks (for crushing)
and clay (especially) kaolinite that are already being exploited
in the building industry.
Existing Industries
Almost all the industries in Kaduna State are located in Zaria and
Kaduna urban centres. Indeed, the entire heavy manufacturing
industrial establishments are concentrated in Kaduna alone.
Certainly, the locations are influenced by government policy and
probably market. For example, the high concentrations of textile
manufacturing industries in Kaduna with just two in Zaria, and
none in Soba, Maigana or Saminaka, which are cotton-producing
towns, illustrate the strong governmental control. Also, the
Federal Government's decisions in the mid 1970s to locate a
petroleum refinery and an automobile assembly plant (PAN) in the
city further widened its industrial growth base and increased the
agglomeration in Makera/Tudun Wada, Kakuri, along Kachia Road.
Other major manufacturing industries in the city include Super
Phosphate Fertiliser Company Ltd and Petro-Chemical Company Ltd.
Again, all these are Federal Government Parastatals. There are
other small to medium scale industries too numerous to list but
are very important in providing potable equipment for rural
dwellers' use (e.g in old "Panteka" market, construction of metal
doors, windows and frames, boxes, grinding stones, huller
machines, kitchen wares, ox-plough blade, planters, shellers, etc.
may be found). Certainly, there is need to encourage location of
other industries outside Kaduna urban center in the future.
Local Sourcing of Raw Materials
Some cultivated crops require special mention for their potentials
as sources of raw materials in some localities of the state. Sugar
cane, grown in the flat fadamas, has been discussed. Its
production is still in small individual farmers' plot of ½ - 1
hectare along the Galma and Tubo valleys. There are two varieties,
the white and brown. However, the brown variety has gained more
popularity recently because it gives higher yield per hectare. On
average, an individual farmer harvests 12-15 tons of the cane per
year which sells for between N10,000.00 and N15,000.00. Apart from
its use as refreshment among the local people, some quantity is
being used for making local candy ("Alawa" in Hausa) and brown
sugar ("Magar-Kwoila" in Hausa) in Makarfi and Ikara LGAs in the
Galma river system.
Ginger, a spicy rhizome plant grown in the local government areas
south of latitude 10o00'N, was a major national export up till the
onset of heavy petroleum exportation in the mid 1960s. High
production from the state made Nigeria a world producer of ginger
since the 1930s. Although export has declined, production in large
tonnage has not abated. A market survey carried out in Kwoi
district, a major producing area, estimates that up to 460 tons
are produced annually in Jaba LGA alone.
Another agricultural commodity that is already an industrial raw
material is tobacco leaf, grown mainly in Soba LGA since the
1930s. The success of a tobacco pilot farm project at Maigana,
gave the district the lead in becoming a major national
tobacco-producing area with a curing center. A training school was
established for local farmers in 1986 and is located at Tashar
Iche for fifteen - thirty students at any one time/season.
Besides, a factory with current labour force of over 3,500 is
located in Zaria. The company manufactures several brands of
cigarettes running into several million sticks annually.
Cotton is also an important agricultural product that has high
development potentialities. The trial of a crossbreed of the local
variety, the Gossypium hirsutum and the 26J (N.A) at Zaria during
the first decade of the last century, gave Kaduna State a long
history of its production. By the mid 1930s, cotton production
from northern Nigeria, mainly centred in Zaria, increased and now
produced over 98 per cent of the total cotton lint demands. With
the establishment of ginneries, the Cotton Agricultural Processing
Company (former BCGA), cottonseed is processed for oil and
livestock feeds. However, as yet, there are only two textile
manufacturing industries in Zaria (Tarpaulin Manufacturing).
Certainly, the establishment of other light textile industries or
cotton yarn will further stimulate cotton production in Soba,
Igabi, Giwa and Zaria LGAs.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Economic Climate
With each of the six successive administrations since the early
1960s, the economic climate of the country, and that of Kaduna
State in particular, got worse. However, gradual political
reorganization and a return to democratic rule have been calming
the stormy economic climate. Also, all the three tiers of
government (LGAs, State and Federal), have adopted the policy of
pursuing vigorous diversification of the economy. Thus, efforts
are now being made to ensure healthy economic environment through
peaceful social and political co-existence within and between
States.
Specifically, Kaduna State has instituted agencies to cater for
the interests of local, national and foreign
entrepreneurs/industrialists. Mainly, the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry arm of the State Government is now charged with the
responsibility of maintaining a good economic climate. In order to
promote industrial/commercial enterprises, the State Government
has put in place several infrastructural facilities. For example,
in Kaduna and Zaria, up to seven and four industrial states,
respectively, have been laid out and provided with access roads,
water and power.
Other incentives include pioneer status scheme for newly
established industries in order to survive the initial capital
outlay and other related problems. Approved user scheme provides
for transfer of profit and dividends arising from investments in
accordance with exchange control regulations after payment of
income tax. Also, the Federal Government has given approval for a
Debt Conversion Programme (DCP), which aims at assisting
industries that are viable but ran into some financial
predicaments.
Industrial Potentialities
Considering the wide range of natural resources outlined above and
the limited use of many of them by the existing industrial
establishments, it is obvious that the industrial potentialities
of the state are rich and enormous. The wealth of agricultural
resources offers high potentials for food processing and
refrigeration in large commercial quantities. At present, many of
the farm produce are wasted in the fields or in poor storage
facilities. For example, such crops as tomatoes, onions, yam,
beans, sugar cane and fruits rot during harvest season because of
large surplus. While good storage facilities may help solve the
problem of scarcity during the off-season, good integrated
processing/manufacturing industries established nearby might
achieve multi-purpose objectives in stimulating social and
economic development in the state. The new industrial layout at
Dakace, on Jos road, is already becoming congested. (Zaria
Pharmaceutical Factory, Tarpaulin Industry, Rigid Pack and Sunnola
Oil Industry are the major industries located there).
POSSIBLE INDUSTRIES IN SELECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KADUNA
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