The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has commenced the distribution of subsidised inputs to 6,000 wheat farmers in Kano State.
The Minister, Abubakar Kyari, flagged off the distribution at the Aggregation Centre at Alkamawa village in Bunkure Local Government Area of the state on Thursday.
Represented by the State Coordinator, Isa Isyaku Hotoro, the minister said the inputs distribution is under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) designed to stimulate increased productivity and higher yields among farmers, ensuring a significant impact on food production and agricultural growth across the country.
“The Federal Government gave the inputs at 75 per cent subsidy while the farmers will pay the balance of 25 per cent.
“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,” he said.
According to the minister, 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 said.
The farmers commended the initiative and appreciated the Federal Government for the gesture, saying 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.