KANO (North-West, Nigeria) — In it bids to boost wheat production, the Federal government, has rolled out subsidized farm inputs to 6,000 wheat farmers in Kano State.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari while flagging off the distribution of the farm inputs in Kano, said the government is giving a 75 per cent subsidy to the farmers to increase the production.
Kyari represented by the Kano State Coordinator, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Isa Isyaku said the inputs distribution which is under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) was designed to ensure a significant impact on food production and add more to the food basket of the nation.
According to him, “The Federal Government gave the inputs at 75 per cent subsidy.
“A total of 6,000 farmers are to benefit from the program. Each farmer will collect three bags of fertilizer and one bag of 50kg wheat seeds at the cost of N111,000 which represents 25 per cent of the total package.
“The farmers are expected to cultivate 3,000 hectares of farmlands in 12 special clusters at Alkamawa in Bunkure, Ajingi and Gaya LGAs.
“Each farmer is expected to cultivate 0.5 hectares in the 12 special clusters in Alkamawa, Ajingi and Gaya Local Government Areas of the state,” the Minister, Kyari said.
Some farmers who took turns to speak at the gathering, Yakubu Ibrahim from Gaya and his counterpart from Bunkure, Haruna Alhassan commended the Federal Government for the gesture which they said will go a long way to boost wheat production.
They said in the past, high cost of the inputs and transportation had compelled most of them to reduce the number of hectares they cultivate.
They however, urged the government to ensure timely distribution of the inputs to enable farmers prepare early enough.
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