The Federal Government has commenced the distribution of farm inputs and equipment to small-scale farmers in Niger State to strengthen food security and reduce poverty across the country.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Minister of Agriculture, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi, said the initiative is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the declaration of a state of emergency on food security.

He explained that the programme is part of short-term plans to reduce the high cost of farm inputs and support smallholder farmers.

He noted that the Federal Government is committed to boosting food production, creating jobs, and making food affordable for Nigerians.

According to him, the inputs being distributed include herbicides, cocoa fertiliser, fungicides, knapsack sprayers, growth enhancers, tomato seeds, power tillers, and water pumps. These will be shared through commodity associations, cooperative groups, farmers with special needs, and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

In his remarks, Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, commended President Tinubu for his continuous support for agriculture.

He said the Federal Government’s all-year-round farming initiative would encourage farmers, enhance food security, and support the state’s agricultural development plan.

“The support of the Federal Government will complement what the state is already doing in agriculture and will help address almost half of the challenges faced by farmers,” Bago said.

The governor, fondly called the Farmer Governor, stressed that agriculture remains central to his administration’s agenda of making Niger a leading food-producing state.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, said 35% of the distributed inputs are reserved for women farmers, in line with the National Gender Policy on Agriculture.

He added that the ministry is working with state governments, farmers’ cooperatives, and the private sector to ensure that only genuine farmers benefit.

Representatives of the Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), the Nigeria Association of Women in Agriculture, and groups for people with special needs all praised the initiative.

They noted that the support from both federal and state governments is helping farmers become more self-reliant.