The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), has trained and distributed farm inputs to 250 farmers in Gombe State.
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The exercise was being conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance and National Planning.
Mr Temitope Fadeshemi, Permanent Secretary in the FMAFS, who spoke on Wednesday in Gombe, said the exercise was taking place simultaneously across the country.
According to Fadeshemi, the initiative is aimed at poverty reduction, uplift the lives of smallholders farmers and encourage sustainable agricultural practices in the country.
Represented by Mr Ibrahim Bomoi, the State Director of the ministry in charge of Gombe State, Fadeshemi said the programme was being implemented under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).
“The NPRGS reflects our government’s dedication to addressing poverty at its roots, emphasising the pivotal role agriculture plays in economic growth and development.
“Through initiatives like today’s training and empowerment programme, we are sowing the seeds of positive change.
“This will ensure that smallholder farmers have the knowledge, resources and support needed to thrive in an ever-evolving agricultural landscape.
“This programme is not merely an investment in agriculture, it is an investment in the future of our nation.
“As we equip these farmers with the tools to enhance productivity, improve resilience and embrace sustainable practices, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient and prosperous agricultural sector,” he said.
Fadeshemi said the intervention if well utilised by the farmers would reduce the high cost of food commodities and enhance food security.
He advised farmers to judiciously utilise the inputs for the purpose for which they were given for the benefit of Nigerians.
Also speaking, Mr Barnabas Malle, the Gombe Commissioner for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives Society, commended the gesture, adding that it would complement the efforts of the state government in boosting food security.
He urged beneficiaries to utilise the inputs in a way that would be beneficial to them and the society.
He also warned them against diversion of the inputs, stressing that such acts would frustrate government’s efforts.
One of the beneficiaries, Hajia Hafsat Abdullahi, thanked President Bola Tinubu for the support, adding that it would “greatly assist farmers in the state”.
Abdullahi pledged to step down the knowledge acquired to other farmers in her community.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries including crop, livestock and poultry farmers received chicks, feeds, fertilisers, seeds and chemicals.
The government will also pay certain amount of money to each of the farmers via conditional cash transfer, expected to be disburse directly into their accounts by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
