By Faridat Salifu
Smallholder farmers in Imo State received a major boost on Saturday, January 31, 2026, when the federal government distributed free farm implements to 90 farmer groups in Owerri as part of efforts to strengthen food security and support rural livelihoods.
The distribution was carried out by Iyere-Usiahon Perpetua, director at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, on behalf of Minister Abubakar Kyari.
The programme aims to make essential farm tools more accessible to farmers who struggle with high input costs, ensuring they can increase production and improve efficiency.
Items distributed included power tillers, liquid fertilizers, herbicides, knapsack sprayers, and water pumps, reaching cooperative groups, commodity associations, farmers with special needs, and internally displaced persons.
Kyari noted that the distribution aligns with ongoing reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that boosting agricultural productivity is central to reducing food shortages, creating jobs, and lowering living costs.
He urged farmers to use the implements responsibly and warned against reselling, stressing that misuse would attract government sanctions.
Local officials, including Alexander Onwumere, permanent secretary of Imo State’s Ministry of Agriculture, praised the timely delivery of the tools and encouraged farmers to maximize their use.
Beneficiaries, such as Chinedu Madu of Umudioka Multipurpose Cooperative, expressed gratitude and called for sustained support from the federal government to maintain momentum in boosting food production.
Source: NAN
