No fewer than 49 agricultural cooperative groups have benefited from free farm inputs distributed by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Sokoto State.
The distributed items included motorized and solar-powered water pumps, sprayers, pesticides, fungicides, power tillers, multipurpose threshers, dehydrators, and motorized welders, among others.
Addressing the beneficiaries on Friday in Sokoto, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said the initiative was part of efforts to boost food production and strengthen Nigeria’s food security, especially among smallholder farmers.
Kyari, represented by a Director in the ministry, Mr Abdulmajid Sule, said all the beneficiaries would receive the farm inputs completely free of charge.
He noted that President Bola Tinubu had declared food security a national emergency, adding that the agricultural sector was a key component of the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at addressing the food crisis in the country.
According to him, the current administration is implementing various economic reforms to enhance productivity, create jobs, and reduce the cost of living for citizens.
Kyari reiterated that the Federal Government was repositioning the agricultural sector by promoting strategic partnerships with non-governmental organization’s, federal institutions, and state governments to achieve food sufficiency.
He explained that the beneficiaries comprised commodity groups, cooperatives, persons with disabilities, as well as women and youth associations across the state.
The minister cautioned beneficiaries against selling the inputs, stressing that the intervention was designed to support small-scale farmers struggling with the high cost of agricultural equipment.
“The present administration is committed to developing the agricultural sector to enhance productivity and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the goal of zero hunger,” Kyari said.
The Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture Office in Sokoto, Mrs Hadiza Abdullahi, said all the cooperative groups were registered and drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state.
Abdullahi said the initiative would boost food production and strengthen the state’s contribution to national and regional agricultural output.
“It is part of a national drive to support smallholder farmers with critical tools and resources,” she said.
Also speaking, the Programme Manager of the Sokoto State Agricultural Development Project (SADP), Mr Abubakar Danmaliki, said the state government had opened more irrigation sites and procured 250 tractors to support agricultural production.
Danmaliki said the Federal Government’s support had complemented the state’s efforts, adding that more extension workers had been deployed to assist farmers across the state.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairmen of the Onion Producers Association and Cotton Farmers Union, Messrs Aliyu Maitasamu and Kabiru Dange, commended the Federal Government for the intervention and pledged to use the inputs effectively to boost yields.
