By Awyetu Asabe Hope
As the ongoing dry-season wheat production continues across Kano State, wheat farmers have expressed concern over the non-receipt of the Federal Government’s promised intervention under its Agro-Pocket initiative.
The farmers said they have waited for the intervention, but nothing has come despite repeated promises.
They lamented that although the Federal Government assured them of support to boost wheat production through subsidised farm inputs, they are yet to benefit from any assistance as the planting season advances this year.
Speaking with this reporter in Garun Malam Local Government Area, a wheat farmer, Malam Habibu Garba, said farmers were asked to wait in vain for the National Wheat Intervention Programme, an initiative many of them participated in last year.
The intervention, implemented through the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), was designed to increase local wheat production, reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports and strengthen national food security.
However, after months of expectation, farmers said there was nothing for them in 2026.
“Under the association, farmers were mobilised, and many of us either hired farmlands or cultivated our own plots. We tilled the land and planted in anticipation of the intervention.
Unfortunately, time has passed without anything from the government, and there has been no explanation whatsoever.
This situation is very disturbing, and many of us are now worried about what the outcome will be at harvest time,” Garba said.
Our correspondent gathered that the proposed intervention included the provision of heavily subsidised farm inputs such as certified wheat seeds and fertilisers to support cultivation across an estimated 3,000 hectares of farmland in the state.
Each participating farmer was expected to receive a 50-kilogramme bag of improved wheat seed and three bags of fertiliser, with the Federal Government subsidising up to 50 per cent of the cost.
However, investigations revealed that as of the time of filing this report, farmers had not received any form of the intervention.
Many reportedly proceeded with cultivation without the promised support, hoping that it would arrive mid-season.
With the harvest period fast approaching, their expectations remain unmet.
Another wheat farmer, Shehu Bello Bahago, said participation in the Federal Government’s programme during the previous season encouraged farmers to invest more this year.
He warned that failure to distribute the intervention could force many out of business.
“Many farmers have invested heavily in this season’s production.
The non-distribution of the intervention may compel some of us to abandon our farms entirely, as many depended on the support to complement their activities, especially towards the harvesting period,” he said.
Findings further revealed that the Kano intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s 2025/2026 dry-season wheat production programme, which targets about 80,000 farmers nationwide and an estimated N160 billion worth of wheat output.
Farmers also raised fears over rumours of massive wheat importation by the Federal Government.
According to Malam Isah Dauda, another wheat farmer in Kano, there are indications that large quantities of imported wheat are being received across the country.
We have observed that many government silos are being overwhelmed with wheat supplies almost daily.
Perhaps the reason behind the non-distribution of the planned intervention is these reported massive imports. This is wrong and could push many of us out of business. It spells doom for the nation’s economy,” Dauda said.
Similarly, the Kano State Chairman of the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN), Alhaji Musa Shehu, confirmed that farmers have been waiting in vain for the Federal Government’s intervention.
He said that despite the delay, farmers mobilised the limited resources at their disposal and went ahead with planting.
He described it as unfortunate that the expected intervention under the Federal Government’s wheat programme had yet to be implemented.
“At the association level, we worked closely with the relevant ministry to perfect the programme, and we were confident that the intervention would be implemented.
Sadly, none of our members has received anything, and no explanation has been offered.
We have demanded clarification to prevent our members from incurring further losses,” he said.
Commenting on the alleged mass importation of wheat, Musa warned that if the reports were true, the country risked crippling its own farmers while empowering foreign producers.
“With harvest expected in the coming months, wheat farmers, particularly in Kano State, are increasingly anxious. The recent developments have left many feeling threatened,” he said.
The farmers appealed to relevant authorities to urgently intervene, stressing the need to safeguard the future of Nigeria’s food security initiatives, protect farmers’ livelihoods and ensure the sustainability of local wheat production.
However, efforts to get the Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Kano zone, to comment on the matter proved unsuccessful.
