Kano — GOVERNOR Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State said, yesterday, in Abuja that the hope of seeing the groundnut pyramids of yesteryears back in Kano was no longer feasible.

Shekarau, who featured at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum, said that local demand for groundnut had greatly increased, compared to what obtained in the 1950s and 1960s.

"In those days, people did not have the capacity to process groundnut and had to sell to produce boards that exported them.

"Today, however, people have been empowered. You will even see women processing groundnut at their backyards to extract oil for other uses," Shekarau said.

He said that though the state was producing more groundnut now than what obtained in the 1950s and 1960s, "local need for the produce is higher than before".

"You cannot see groundnut pyramids again as the demand for groundnut, which used to be minimal about 50 years ago, has increased," he stressed.

He said that local and international demand for the product was increasing, hence the era of stockpiling was over.

He said that other grains produced in the state were also experiencing huge demand as some were even bought before harvest. "The state is currently producing 4.2 million tonnes of grains annually, a major improvement from about 1.2 million tonnes in 2003," he said.

He told NAN that the bumper harvest being experienced in the state was as a result of the state's policy on fertiliser and the provision of improved seedlings for farmers.