Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has flagged off the 2024 sales and distribution of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs.
The event was held Tuesday at the Farm Centre in Minna, the state capital.
The governor said that in order to ensure affordability, the state government has subsidised the price of fertilisers by 50 percent.
He maintained that his administration has prioritised the agricultural sector by investing in machinery and technology to boost productivity in line with his New Niger Agenda.
Governor Bago further disclosed that the government had made significant progress in delivering tractors, harvesters, and other equipment to support small-scale farmers as part of its commitment to achieving sustainable food security, reducing food costs, and addressing unemployment, especially among youths.
He appreciated development partners and the private sector that have keyed into his agricultural revolution in the state and assured them of his continued support.
He acknowledged the security challenges in the state and assured that his administration was working round the clock to ensure uninterrupted farming activities.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Musa Bawa Bosso, disclosed that the Ministry has identified over 16,000 hectares of land in Wushishi, Katcha, Agaie, and Lapai local government areas for the cultivation of rice, maize, soyabean, and sesame in line with the governor's directive to the ministry to develop a structure where every Niger State civil servant will cultivate at least one hectare to utilise the abundant arable land in the state.
He said the ministry was working assiduously in collaboration with Niger Foods and other stakeholders to support the initiative of cultivating 10,000 hectares of land in each of the 25 local government areas.
The commissioner commended the governor for his laudable agricultural revolution, which he said has received national and international accolades.
He appealed to the governor to support the resuscitation of the state's buffer stock programme, which has been on hold for several years, as it will enable the ministry to mop up grains and stock in state-owned designated warehouses during harvest for future use, thereby addressing the high cost of food crops.