From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has distributed farm inputs to no fewer than 6,000 small-holder, medium and large-scale wheat farmers in Kano state.
Speaking at the distribution of the inputs at Alkamawa in Bunkure Local Government area of the state on Thursday, Isa Isyaku Hotoro, state Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security said the aim of the programme is to boost food production.
According to him, it is the productivity per unit area of the farmers would be increased, adding that their returns would also be increased.
Hotoro explained that the farmers, especially a smallholder farmer with an average holding of 0.5 hectares is expected to benefit with three bags of fertilizer and one bag of 50 kg of wheat seed.
“6, 000 farmers are expected to benefit from this program to cover 3,000 hectares of land”, he said.
The beneficiaries, according to Hotoro, are in 12 clusters in Alkamawa, Ajingi and Gaya.
The coordinator further explained that the Federal Government is giving 75 percent subsidy while the the beneficiaries pay 25 percent, amounting to N112,000 each.
“We are here at Alkamawa to witness the distribution of inputs to farmers in Alkamawa clusters.
“This is a special program that is designed to capture small-holder, the medium and of course the large-scale farmers in wheat production.
“It is expected that the productivity per unit area of the farmers would be increased. And the expected returns of the farmers will also be increased”, he explained.
Responding, some of the farmers that spoke with journalists expressed delight and gratitude to the government for the gesture, promising to use the inputs judiciously.
