The Kaduna State Government has concluded plans to distribute free fertilisers to 100,000 smallholder farmers across the 23 local government areas of the state, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, has disclosed.
Dabo made the announcement while briefing journalists at the end of the distribution committee’s meeting ahead of the rollout of the state’s fertiliser intervention programme on Saturday.
He said the initiative was part of Gov. Uba Sani’s commitment to achieving food security and supporting vulnerable farmers amid rising agricultural input costs.
Dabo said, “This is the only state in Nigeria today distributing fertiliser free of charge to smallholder farmers.
“Our aim is to strengthen food production, protect livelihoods, and ensure equitable access to farm inputs.”
According to him, an initial batch of 300 trucks of fertiliser is ready for distribution, with a target to reach 400,000 smallholder farmers in phases.
“We have a broad based committee comprising religious leaders, security agencies, civil society groups, labour representatives and local government officials to ensure transparency and fairness in the process,” the commissioner said.
Dabo explained that while smallholder farmers would receive fertilisers for free, commercial farmers would access theirs at a subsidised rate, paying only 40 per cent of the market price.
“A bag of fertiliser will be sold at N30,000 to commercial farmers, with the state government covering 60 percent of the cost.
“This is to reduce their production costs and encourage increased output,” he added.
The commissioner further disclosed that the state had budgeted over N100 billion for agriculture this year, representing about 14 per cent of its total budget, above the 10 per cent benchmark recommended under the Maputo Declaration.
He also cited the Special Agro Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) launched by Vice-President Kashim Shettima as another key intervention to boost productivity, processing and market access for Kaduna farmers.
“With improved peace across the state, many abandoned farmlands in areas like Birnin Gwari and Giwa have been reactivated.
“We are also clearing an additional 20,000 hectares of land with plans to introduce rainwater harvesting and irrigation infrastructure,” Dabo stated.
He said beneficiaries of the free fertiliser programme would also be covered under a government backed agricultural insurance scheme to protect them against climate shocks and crop diseases.
“This covers up to 100,000 farmers. We saw what happened during the ginger blight outbreak, so we’re taking steps to shield our farmers from future losses,” he stated.
The commissioner added that Kaduna’s agricultural vision was anchored on equity, sustainability and resilience, stressing that efforts were underway to transform the state into a regional food powerhouse.(NAN)
