By George George Idowu
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has distributed farming inputs at subsidized rates to 7,920 farmers in Benue State to support the 2024 wet season farming.
The distribution took place over the weekend in Makurdi, where beneficiaries from across the state’s 23 local government areas received essential farming supplies.
Mr. Boniface Tongov, the coordinator of the ministry in Benue, explained that the initiative aimed to boost food production in the state and the nation.
He said beneficiaries were required to pay 25% of the total cost of the items, with the government covering the remaining amount.
Each farmer received three bags of fertilizer and one bag, each of improved seeds of maize, sorghum, soybean, and rice. Additionally, four litres of herbicides and pesticides were provided, all at subsidized prices.
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Tongov emphasized that the initiative was designed to enhance food production, improve nutrition, and create job opportunities.
“This gesture is to boost wet season farming, ensure balanced nutrition, and create more jobs,” he stated, adding that strict measures would be enforced against beneficiaries who attempt to sell the subsidized input
In the same vein, Director General of the Benue Bureau for Agricultural Development and Mechanization, Mr. Terese Ninga expressed gratitude to the federal government for the support.
He stressed that the program would help eradicate hunger in the state.
Ninga urged farmers to make full use of the inputs to ensure a successful harvest.
While on the part of Mr. Moses Ogbaji, the Benue State Commissioner for Agriculture, he echoed these sentiments, stating that the intervention would solidify Benue’s position as the “food basket of the nation.”
Mr. Fidelis Akosu, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Benue, thanked the federal government for its support but called for further programs and initiatives to enhance food production and combat hunger in Nigeria.
