Niger State Government has subsidised the prices of fertilizer by 50 per cent in order to achieve sustainable food security, reduce food cost as well as address unemployment in the state.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago announced this while launching the 2024 farming session's sales and distribution of fertilizer and other agricultural inputs, at Farm Centre, Tunga in Minna.
Bago reiterated the commitment of his administration in prioritising agriculture, investing in machinery and technology to boost productivity in line with his New Niger Agenda.
He assured farmers of government support for the 2024 farming season and beyond.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Musa Salihu Bawa Bosso, said the state is prioritising implementation of the cultivation of 10,000 hectares of land in each of the 25 local government areas, adding that the ministry is working with the Niger Food to actualise the dream.
He added that the Niger State Agricultural and Mechanisation Development Authority (NAMDA) is working with Niger Food to address the need of 20,000 smallholder's farmers and 10,000 medium holders, having access to 1,000 power tillers and agro inputs.
He appealed to the governor to support the resuscitation of the state's buffer stock programme in comatose for several years so as to purchase in stock for sale at subsidised rates when necessary.
