From Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has announced plans to distribute free fertilisers to 100,000 smallholder farmers across the state’s 23 local government areas.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, disclosed this at a committee meeting ahead of the rollout of the state’s fertiliser intervention programme.
The initiative is part of Governor Uba Sani’s commitment to achieving food security and supporting vulnerable farmers amid rising agricultural input costs. Dabo said an initial batch of 300 trucks of fertiliser is ready for distribution, with a target to reach 400,000 smallholder farmers in phases.
A broad-based committee comprising religious leaders, security agencies, civil society groups, labour representatives, and local government officials has been set up to ensure transparency and fairness in the process.
While smallholder farmers will receive fertilisers for free, commercial farmers will access theirs at a subsidised rate, paying only 40% of the market price.
