The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kaduna State chapter, has announced a new dry season sorghum farming programme designed to strengthen food security and improve the livelihoods of farmers across the state. The initiative is being implemented in partnership with major agricultural stakeholders and will begin with a pilot phase.
Speaking to journalists in Zaria on Sunday, Nuhu Aminu, chairman AFAN, Kaduna chapter, said the pilot phase would support 300 farmers. He explained that each beneficiary would receive high-yielding sorghum varieties that are suitable for dry season cultivation. He added that the number of participants is expected to increase in the coming years as the programme expands across the state.
In a related update, Mr Aminu said AFAN was working with the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria to assist farmers benefiting from the federal government’s 2025 dry season farming intervention. He explained that the intervention provides a full input package for cultivating one hectare of farmland, while farmers are required to pay only 50 per cent of the cost. According to him, the remaining 50 per cent is subsidised by the federal government to reduce the financial burden on smallholder farmers.
“The beneficiaries, who are mostly peasant farmers, will have the remaining 50 per cent subsidised by the federal government,” he said.
Mr Aminu also expressed concern over reports that some individuals were illegally collecting N9,000 from farmers under the false claim of enrollment for the programme. He stressed that beneficiaries are not required to pay any fee to access the intervention and warned that AFAN would take necessary punitive action against anyone involved in the extortion.
