The federal government has reiterated its commitment to food security and sufficiency for all Nigerians and distributed 5,040 bags of fertilisers to farmers in Ekiti State.
The minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who stated this during the flag-off of the phase one of the Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme (FISP), said the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is achieving food sustainability in the agriculture sector through its renewed hope agenda.
Abdullahi said the move is designed for Nigeria to be self- sustaining in terms of food production, adding that, “This is to actually honor the vision of our President Bola Tinubu, who believes we should be able to feed ourselves as a nation. And the food security component of his renewed hope agenda means that we must ensure our farmers are producing and in producing food, different areas have different capacities.
“And so this Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme, which is anchored by one of our agencies, the National Agriculture Development Fund( NADF) is designed to support farmers, but not just to support farmers, but to make sure farmers have this input at the right time.
“Because the president wants us to meet our food security and food sovereignty objectives. So we are here to give these fertilizers to farmers in the Ekiti state and all the states in the Southwest as an anchor to flag off and it will be extended to other states and we are expecting with this that there will be bumper harvest, so food prices will be able to come down and affordable to all”.
The executive secretary of NADF , Mohammed Ibrahim during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ceremony and formal handover of fertilizer to the farmers in the state at the event, said the Farm Input Support Programme (Phase I), is an input support programme, dedicated to a sustainable, integrated value-chain model.
“It is an economic and social impact intervention programme whereby the NADF provides fertilizers as a Grant to connect primary agriculture production with vital farm input required to upscale productivity and market access. It is a policy deliverable aimed at creating the conditions for attainment of food security in Nigeria in line with the vision of President Bola Tinubu.’’
“The NADF is today supporting 20,160 smallholder farmers within the Southwest States with 80,640 bags of fertilizers for distribution to 5,040 beneficiaries each in Ekiti State, Ogun State, Ondo State and Lagos State. We are providing subsidized, branded, and traceable fertilizer, with bold “NOT FOR SALE” markings, as part of our efforts to support smallholder farmers cultivating less than 0.5 Hectares of crops in the beneficiary States who are registered with the State Governments and State Branches of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
Delivering the keynote address during the official launch of FISP, Governor Biodun Oyebanji commended President Tinubu, GCFR, for his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to revitalizing Nigeria’s agricultural sector through numerous interventions and empowerment strategies being initiated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and its agencies like the National Agricultural Development.
The governor who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Habitat Adubiaro said, “This initiative called the Renewed Hope Farm Inputs Support Programme (FISP) clearly demonstrates Mr. President’s dedication to the acceleration of domestic food production, timely distribution and application of fertilizers to meet the demands of crops productivity in 25 States of Nigeria including Federal Capital Territory, Abuja under PHASE 1. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, agriculture is no longer treated as a subsistence venture but as a viable business capable of driving industrialization, lifting millions out of poverty and ensuring food security and safety for all”.
