Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, has announced a 50 percent subsidy on fertilizer for Benue farmers.
Consequently, farmers will now pay N12,500 for a 50kg bag of NPK fertilizer.
For the ongoing 2023 farming season, the governor said his administration had taken immediate action to procure and distribute 100 trucks of inorganic fertilizers, totaling 60,000 bags to be distributed to farmers across the 23 Local Government Areas in the state, with plans to increase the number in the future.
The governor made the announcement at the launch of the 2023 Fertilizer Sales and Distribution in Makurdi, the state capital.
He expressed his commitment towards supporting farmers in the face of security challenges and economic hardship and noted that the event marked a significant step towards enhancing agricultural productivity and empowering rural women in the state.
The governor urged farmers to make the most of this crucial farm input to ensure a bumper harvest in 2023.
To ensure the success of this endeavour, Alia warned against any attempts to sabotage the sales and distribution process, noting that severe sanctions would be imposed on anyone caught engaging in such activities, regardless of their position.
The governor, therefore, called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Task Force established for this purpose to ensure fair and urgent distribution of fertilizers to farmers.
He further commended the resilience of the people of the state who have remained steadfast in their age-old farming activities despite the prevailing adversities in the country.
The governor who acknowledged and decried the lack of critical farm inputs to farmers during the past two farming seasons, said his administration was poised to support farmers and improve food production in the state, hence the subsidy.
Alia also announced that his administration has finalised arrangements to provide low-interest loans to 27,600 rural women across the state to enable them venture into various businesses and improve their income levels, which will in turn empower women and drive economic growth at the grassroots level.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to combating criminality, herdsmen attacks, banditry, and other threats to the safety and well-being of the people of Benue even as he called for peaceful co-existence among farming communities and urged everyone to remain vigilant against false alarms aimed at disrupting farming activities.
