The federal government on Thursday inaugurated the distribution of free agricultural inputs worth millions of Naira to farmers in Zamfara as part of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to enhance food production in the country.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, while presenting the items to the farmers in Gusau, stated that the gesture was aimed at increasing food production and mitigating the country’s food crisis.

The minister stated that the gesture was also intended to support small-scale farmers in Zamfara with inputs and agricultural equipment.

“This is also part of the federal government’s effort towards addressing the underlying challenges impacting the attainment of national food security goals,” he noted.

The minister said the inputs to be distributed to the farmers comprised tractors, solar water pumps, Faro-certified rice seeds, insecticides, storage bags, herbicides, organic liquid fertilisers, knapsack sprayers, and power tillers, among others.

“These inputs are to be distributed to the farmers through commodity associations, cooperative groups, farmers with special needs, and internally displaced persons. This is part of our programme for increasing agricultural production and ensuring food security in the country.

“The federal government is committed to developing the agricultural sector towards improving agriculture and rural productivity as well as attaining the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially that of zero hunger.

“I want to use this opportunity to reiterate our commitment towards strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural sector for enhanced food security, while contributing to the eradication of poverty in the country. This is an alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President. The federal government has declared food security as a national state of emergency on food security in July 2023,” the minister added.

Mr Kyari assured that the federal government had demonstrated total political will to transform the country’s agricultural sector by making food security a priority. He stated that the present administration in the country, under Mr Tinubu, is implementing numerous economic reforms to stimulate productive capacity, create jobs, and reduce the cost of living.

He stated that the important goal of every nation was to attain food security, saying, “This is an international priority reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is to address the underlying challenges on our national food security goals to stimulate productive capacity, creating job opportunities and emergency responses.

“The humanitarian actions had also been taken to ameliorate the food crisis in the country. We also remain committed to promoting and creating synergies with non-governmental organisations and the private sector to enhance efforts at ensuring food security, economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.”

Responding on behalf of the farmers, Abdullahi Nakwada, state secretary of the All Farmers Association, described the gesture as a welcome development.

Mr Nakwada said farmers in the state were always ready to utilise the items to enhance food production in the state and the country in general.

(NAN)