The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has begun distributing free agricultural inputs and equipment to smallholder farmers in Niger State as part of efforts to promote year-round farming, boost food production and strengthen food and nutrition security.
The initiative was flagged off on Friday at the ministry’s Green House office in Minna with beneficiaries that included cooperative groups, women, youths, persons with special needs and internally displaced persons.
Minister of state for agriculture and food security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the distribution was one of the strategic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration designed to build a resilient and sustainable agricultural sector.
“This initiative reflects our commitment to transform agriculture into a driver of food availability, accessibility and affordability for all Nigerians.
“We have declared food security a national state of emergency and we are determined to make farming an all-year-round venture,” Abdullahi stated.
The inputs distributed included herbicides, cocoa fertiliser, fungicides, knapsack sprayers, growth enhancers and tomato seeds, as well as power tillers and water pumps.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s head of information department, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Abdullahi said the programme would be extended to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory under the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He commended Niger State Governor, Muhammad Umaru Bago, for making agriculture a priority, describing the state as a model for implementing federal agricultural policies.
Governor Bago, who was present at the event, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for supporting farmers through the federal initiative.
He said the policy would motivate farmers to be self-sufficient while contributing to national food security.
The governor highlighted the state’s recent achievements, including the export of $2.2 million worth of sesame seeds in 2025 through the Nigerian Women Police Cooperative in farming.
He also announced plans to establish sesame processing centers and revive the Cooperative Bank of Niger State with a N2 billion capital base, which would serve as a microfinance bank to ease access to agricultural credit.
