Federal government will commence the distribution of 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains to the vulnerable households next week in Niger State.
Governor of Niger State Umaru Bago disclosed this to journalists yesterday in Abuja during a visit to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ahead of the exercise.
Bago said the state government had acquired over 120 trucks of additional grains to complement the federal government intervention to reach more people across the local governments in the state.
The governor added that Niger State had been chosen as a pilot state in the North Central zone to implement the mechanisation programme of President Bola Tinubu to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency.
He said the state had received necessary support and inputs from the ministry of agriculture and had also provided extension services to farmers and rural dwellers.
The governor also stated that the state was focusing on various aspects of agriculture, such as animal husbandry, aquaculture and crop production for job creation and food security.
He said the state was agrarian and was determined to go back to agriculture as the only way out of the food crisis.
The minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, confirmed the plans and said that the distribution of the grains would be done by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), with the involvement of other security agencies and stakeholders.
He said that the distribution would be very transparent and accountable, and that a robust matrix had been drawn out to show where and how the grains would be delivered.
The minister also said that Niger State has been selected for the pilot launch of the second phase of the dry-season farming by next weekend.
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