The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has distributed agro inputs and equipment to small-scale farmers in Enugu State, with beneficiaries expressing satisfaction and gratitude for the support. The exercise took place on Thursday and was targeted at farmers under commodity associations, cooperative groups, people with special needs, and internally displaced persons.
The items distributed included herbicides, fertilizers, knapsack sprayers, solar water pumps, oil pail chisels, growth enhancers for rice, organic fertilisers for cassava, and water pumps. The initiative is part of the federal government’s programme to boost agricultural productivity, reduce poverty, and strengthen food security.
Chairman of the Graduate Farmers Association, Enugu, Patrick Mbah, thanked the ministry for the intervention but appealed for urgent measures to address the issue of herders allowing cattle to graze on farmlands. According to him, the association lost 200 hectares of rice to herdsmen in 2024, noting that the inputs would help cushion the impact of such losses. “We appreciate this support and we assure the ministry that we will put them to proper use,” Mbah said.
Also speaking, the vice-chairman of the People with Disabilities Farmers in Enugu, Benedict Ekwochi, described the inputs as a form of “powerful empowerment,” stressing that the gesture was a welcome development that would help boost food production in the state. “The inputs will boost our production next year,” he added.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, who led the distribution, explained that the programme was designed to expand food production and mitigate food crises in the country. He noted that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had declared a national state of emergency on food security in July 2023, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Kyari said the government was committed to increasing agricultural output, improving rural productivity, and advancing the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially the target of achieving zero hunger. He further noted that the ministry was working to create synergies with non-governmental organisations and the private sector to enhance food security, stimulate economic growth, and reduce poverty across Nigeria.