By Abdulwahab Muhammad, Bauchi.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has subsidized agricultural inputs, including fertilizer, seeds, insecticides and pesticides to 3000 farmers in the Bauchi zone with , to enable them cultivate wheat on 3000 hectares of land under the federal government’s initiative for dry season wheat farming.
The aim of the exercise is to reduce the importation of foreign grains and boost local production in Nigeria.
The intervention involves providing agricultural inputs, such as 10 bags of fertilizer (3 Urea – 7NPK), wheat seedlings (1 bag foreign and 1 bag local), pesticides, and insecticides. These inputs are made available upon a down payment of 50 per cent of the total cost, which amounts to N160,000.
Under the National Wheat Production Programme by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (NAGS-AP), Bauchi state was allocated 3,000 hectares of land, with Jama’are, Azare, and Misau each receiving 600, 500, and 500 hectares respectively for the dry season wheat farming.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the distribution of farming tools to wheat farmers in Bauchi, The managing Director of K.T. Doma Investment Ltd who is in charge of Bauchi zone distribution center, Honourable Sadiq Tijjani Kida said that there were four distribution centers in the state they included Bauchi (Toro, Tafawa Balewa, Dass, Bogoro, Kirfi, Alkaleri, Bauchi and Ganjuwa local councils), Azare, Misau, Ningi, Tijjani said that 3000 hectares were allocated to farmers for the 2023/2024 wheat farming season in Bauchi zone.
He said 1,400 farmers were selected in Bauchi center, 600 in Azare center, 500 in Misau and 500 in Ningi.
He said that: “The farmers have been listed and the ICT in Abuja has sent messages to them to come to their centers where they will redeem their inputs.
“We have been giving out the inputs since November 15th and we have come to the end of the distribution today. For Bauchi, we have given all the 1,400 inputs to the beneficiaries.”
Tijjani said, farmers are expected to have planted between November 15th and December 15th for a bumper harvest. Sadiq added that the programme is implemented to reduce much dependence on the importation of wheat. One of the beneficiaries, Abubakar Suleiman, vowed to go to the farm immediately while appreciating the government for assisting the farmers to boost wheat production.
Zuwaira Ibrahim, a beneficiary of the scheme from the Bauchi zone, expressed gratitude to the federal government for the intervention, highlighting the potential economic boost and enhanced food security from the support. “I am immensely grateful for the agricultural inputs.
This gesture will not only improve my economic status but also contribute to the availability of food supplies,” said Ibrahim. Another beneficiary, Maigari Mohammed, also extended appreciation to the federal government and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, urging for the continuation and extension of such support to more farmers in the state.
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