COVID-19: FG distributes free input to smallholder farmers in Gombe
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, has flagged-off another distribution of free agricultural inputs and quality seeds to smallholder farmers in Gombe State, stating that it would ensure food and nutrition security, create more jobs for teaming Nigerian youths and boost dry-season farming.
While performing the exercise at the Ministry’s office complex in Gombe at the weekend, the Minister said that it is part of the measures to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood disaster that wreaked havoc on the farmlands.
He said that the Ministry would support breeder and foundation seed production and link up with the private seed companies to ensure that certified seeds are available to local farmers nationwide.
According to a statement by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, the Information Officer of the Ministry, Shehuri stated that improved rural infrastructure and other value chain support would invariably contribute to the attainment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire towards ensuring easy access to quality food and nutrition for Nigerians.
He informed that “the Ministry has supported Gombe state with subsidized inputs with over 350 3HP and 30 7HP irrigation pumps, multipurpose threshers, over 70 motorized and dual powered sprayers amongst others.
“Under our world bank assisted nutrition programme, we have provided multiple trainings and homestead farming input packages including tomato, pepper, pawpaw among others in five local government areas in the state as well as irrigation kits designed to improve the household nutrition.”
He continued: “The small holder farmers in the state will today receive the following free inputs; 10,000 Gum Arabic Seedlings, 15MT of rice seed, 2.5 MT groundnut foundation seeds, 1,000 KG of Castor seeds, 1,500 KG of cashew nuts as well as Ratkin and Liptol-organic insecticides to combat army worm infestation and equipment like water pumps, maize threshers among others.
“So far, the ministry has performed similar exercise in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Oyo, Cross River and Imo states, with this being the 8th edition, assisting smallholders farmers with quality inputs to ensure sustainable food security, job creation and revenue generation to grow the nation’s economy.”
The Minister emphasised that “in our input distribution efforts, at least 35% of these inputs are targeted at the women farmers, this is in line with the targets set in our national gender action plan and policies aimed at ensuring increased opportunities for women.”
While explaining that “in order to alleviate the effect of flood on farmers, inputs were distributed to farmers in Jigawa, Kebbi, Nasarawa and Benue states,” Shehuri tasked the beneficiaries to make judicious use of these inputs to produce food for the nation while calling on other stakeholders to provide similar support to farmers.
