The Federal Government on Saturday distributed agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers in Kano to boost all-year-round farming and enhance national food security.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this during the distribution programme in Kano. He was represented by Yarima Uba, Director of the Department of Horticulture, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Kyari said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He explained that the government has implemented several interventions, including economic reforms and emergency responses, to mitigate the country’s food crisis.
“It is the resolve of the present administration to attain the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially zero hunger, while mitigating the food crisis in the country.
“The Federal Government declared a state of emergency on food security in July 2023, demonstrating its political will to transform the agricultural sector and make food security a top priority,” he said.
Kyari said the ministry adopted short-term support mechanisms to make essential farm inputs more affordable and accessible to farmers through transparent and accountable processes.
“Our foremost concern is to facilitate agro-inputs and basic farm machinery to small-scale farmers who are constrained by high market costs,” he said.
Items distributed include power tillers, herbicides, liquid fertilizers, knapsack sprayers, and water pumps, among others.
Kyari said the items were distributed through commodity associations, cooperative groups, farmers with special needs, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to enhance food production.
He noted that smallholder farmers constitute about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s farming population, adding that supporting them would significantly boost food production nationwide.
The programme is ongoing in all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Kyari urged beneficiaries to use the inputs judiciously, stressing that they were provided free to improve productivity and achieve national food security goals.
Kano State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Danjuma Mahmoud (represented by Mr Ibrahim Aliyu, Director of Commercial Services), commended the Federal Government for the initiative.
Mahmoud said the support would encourage farmers who had suffered losses to return to farming and sustain food production.
State Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Kano, Rukayya Abdulkadir-Tunau, advised farmers to strictly adhere to safety guidelines when using agricultural chemicals.
She urged farmers to follow international best practices and use protective gear to prevent health hazards and environmental pollution.
Abdulkadir-Tunau said about 70 farmers’ associations were expected to benefit from the distribution, adding that more than 800 farmers would directly benefit from the programme.
Kano Coordinator of Small-Scale Women Farmers, Dije Ibrahim-Tudunwada, commended the government for the gesture and urged beneficiaries to use the inputs responsibly and wear protective masks when applying insecticides.
Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, Murtala Musa, who is physically challenged, commended the Federal Government for including vulnerable groups in the distribution.
Musa said the intervention would improve their livelihoods and called for sustained inclusion of persons with disabilities in future agricultural support programmes.
He said such initiatives had enhanced food production among beneficiaries, noting that he recorded up to 200 bags of rice and other produce annually.
