Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule has inaugurated the subsidised sales of 1,035 metric tons of NPK fertilizer to farmers in the state for the 2022 farming season.
The state government had procured and distributed 600 metric tons of assorted fertilizers and other farm inputs to dry season farmers at subsidised rates for the 2021 dry season farming.
Speaking in Lafia on Tuesday at the inauguration ceremony, Sule said that the state purchased each bag at N17,000 but explained that each bag would be sold at a subsidised rate of N10,000 to farmers.
He said, “All these are to ensure effective distribution process in the delivery of farm inputs to our teeming farmers, as well as to ensure all year round farming, with a view to attaining sustainable food production in the State.
“We recently entered into an agreement with the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority to access 500 hectares of land in Doma Local Government Area for the production of rice in the State
“Nasarawa state is endowed with fertile lands and good climatic condition which is suitable for the production of several kinds of crops for both domestic and export consumption.”
He vowed to arrest and prosecute anyone who diverts or inflates the price of the products and called on members of the public especially farmers to report any abnormalities to the authorities.
Responding on behalf of farmers, the State Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Samuel Meshi expressed gratitude to the governor for his developmental strides and appealed to the governor to further reduce the price of the fertiliser to enable all farmers to afford the product.
Earlier, the State Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Nuhu Oshafu, said the state government had implemented farmer-friendly policies and provided critical farm inputs such as fertiliser, Agro-Chemicals among others to farmers in the state.
Oshafu further said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in collaboration with the State Agricultural Development Programme had intensified Extension Services by which farmers were acquiring new and modern farming techniques and improved technologies in order to increase productivity.
While thanking the Governor for promptly approving funds for the procurement of fertiliser for the 2022 Cropping Season, the Commissioner called on all farmers in the state to take advantage of the gesture and maintain closer contact with extension workers so as to keep abreast of new technologies in the field of agriculture.
Copyright PUNCH.
