The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has assured farmers in the country that it would continue to support them with agricultural inputs on a regular basis. The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, dropped this hint at the NALDA Institute of Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship, Isiala Okpu community in Abia State, during the distribution of agricultural inputs to farmers in Abia, Kebbi and Yobe states, as part of measures to boost food production and ensure food security in the country.
He said that the contact details of all the beneficiaries have been captured in the authority’s database for follow-up assistance and that more farmers would be added to the list from time to time. He said that the input was aimed at assisting farmers across the country to maximise crop cultivation for improved yields and increased food production. According to him, each accredited beneficiary of the empowerment programme received a NALDA branded bag containing high grade fertilizer, herbicides and improved maize seeds for Abia and Yobe states while Kebbi received improved rice seeds that can effectively cover half an hectare of farm land.
Ikonne noted that the government was working assiduously to ensure that Nigerians produce what they eat through the provision of farm inputs, stressing that the essence of the empowerment programme, was in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to ensure that Nigerians get enough food at affordable prices. “The essence of what we are doing here today is to ensure Nigerians understand the importance of farming as well as make sure we produce what we eat and reduce the prices of food items in the markets. We are expecting nothing less than 340 hectares to be cultivated by these farmers. In Kebbi State, the NALDA Administrator in the state, Bashar Bunza, led the team that distributed the inputs to beneficiaries from the benefiting local government areas.
The Chairman of Ngaski local government area, Manir Abubakar, who participated in the distribution exercise, appreciated NALDA for the kind gesture. He said that the bags containing high yielding rice seeds, fertilizers and herbicides, would help farmers produce more food. Abubakar urged the beneficiaries to utilise the inputs for what they were intended for and desist from selling them. In Yobe State, the NALDA team, led by the Director of Finance, Suleiman Lawal, distributed the inputs to beneficiaries in Gashua, Bade local government area of the state, who were drawn from Bade, Yusufari, Jakusko, Nguru, Karasuwa, and Machina local government areas of the state.
The NALDA team also demonstrated to the beneficiaries on how to apply the farm inputs for maximum yields. Some of the beneficiaries expressed their appreciation to the Federal Government for the gesture. A woman leader of Yoruba community and Muslim women in Abia State, Azeezat Jimoh, appreciated NALDA and the government for including a member of her community in the distribution exercise. She said they would put the needed efforts to ensure they produce enough food. A rice farmer, who farms seven to eight hectares of rice annually, Habibu Aliyu, said that the intervention by NALDA was a timely one, as accessing fertilizer had been a daunting task. He promised to utilise it to the best of his ability. Another rice farmer, Najima Hamza, said the input would go a long way in boosting his farm activities and also help in supporting his family.
