Written By Isma’il Adamu; Edited By Godwin Duru
The Federal Government says it will continue to empower small holder farmers and indigenous producers of fertilizer and other farming inputs to drive sustainable job creation and food security.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stated this in Katsina at the launch of the distribution of 100,800 bags of fertilizer to 25,200 small holder farmers in five of the seven states in the northwest zone under Phase One of the Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Program, an initiative of the National Agricultural Development Fund.
Benefitting states are Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi and Jigawa where 5,040 smallholders farmers from each state will get four bags of fertilizer each.
Senator Kyari said the support is part of a deliberate policy by the federal government to empower small holder farmers who are the key drivers of agricultural production in the country, as well as indigenous producers of fertilizer who require government patronage to grow the industry and boost its capacity to create jobs.
“The Farm Input Support Program is an economic and social impact intervention by the Bola Tinubu administration which entails providing fertilizers and other inputs to small holder farmers to address crop production gaps while supporting indigenous fertilizer producers to upscale production to meet demand.
“The aim is to boost industrial production while the structural linkage will bring about sustainable job creation and food security. The intervention comes with three gains: input for the farmer, output for the producer and food security for the nation”, he said.
In his speech, the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund, Alhaji Mohammad Ibrahim, explained that each state will distribute the fertilizers to small holders farmers that are registered with their respective state governments and state branches of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
He noted that the fertilizers are “produced in Nigeria, branded, traceable and boldly marked ‘Not for Sale’ to ensure that they get to the farmers they are meant for”.
“515,720 bags of fertilizer will be distributed nationwide under the program. In the northwest zone, 100,800 bags that will be distributed to 25,200 small holder farmers in Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Jigawa states with each state receiving 20,150 bags for 5,040 farmers.
“The objective is to reduce the cost of production, improve access to quality fertilizer, increase yield per hectare and strengthen food supply in the market considering the fact that food prices are determined by factors of production in the farm Such as the cost of input, cost of logistics, supply gaps and access to market.
“By supporting farmers with fertilizer at this point of production we are helping with one of the major constraints that limits output and leads to high cost of food prices”, he said.
Katsina State Governor, Dr. Dikko Radda, commended the federal government for launching the Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Program which he said will “boost agricultural productivity and improve the livelihood of millions of Nigerian farmers”.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is translating into practical interventions that directly impact the lives of the ordinary citizens of this country. This strategic intervention is designed to boost productivity, close production gaps, strengthen food security and support small holder farmers who constitute the backbone of our agrarian economy”.
Radda particularly commended NADF for “sourcing the inputs locally thereby stimulating domestic industrial production, creating employment opportunities and strengthening the national economy”.
He noted that in Katsina State, agriculture is at the center of government’s development agenda reflected in “the implementation of a series of transformative interventions aimed at modernizing the sector and empowering farmers”.
“Among the key achievements of our administration in this regard is the annual procurement and distribution of 400,000 bags of assorted NPK and Urea fertilizer to farmers across the 34 local government areas of the state for three consecutive years.
“We have also implemented an aggressive mechanization drive across the 34 local government areas which has provided farmers with access to over 400 tractors, ten combined harvesters and other mordern agricultural equipment, and also established an irrigation authority for the state” Radda said.
Isma’il Adamu
