FG’s 50% Subsidy On Agric Input To Gulp Over N45bn

The Federal Government’s 50 per cent subsidy on agric input may cost the sum of N45.12bn for wheat cultivation, THE WHISTLER can report.

The figure was arrived based on analysis of statistics obtained on Sunday from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, had announced that he aims to support “About 150,000 to 250,000 farmers with 50 per cent input subsidy to cultivate between 200,000 to 250,000 hectares and an expected yield of 1,250,000 tonnes of wheat.”

THE WHISTLER earlier reported that farmers across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory will be receiving a subsidized farm input of 50 per cent during the dry season farming.

The crops being targeted for the season are wheat, for which seeds have been imported from Mexico; rice, maize, sorghum, soybeans, and cassava.

In a statement released by Obe Mabel, the Principal Information Officer (FMAFS) on Sunday, the Executive Governor of Jigawa State, Mallam Umar Namadi told Kyari that an estimated agric input on a hectare of land cost N361,000.

He said “This initiative perfectly aligns with several aspects of the State 12-Point Agenda for Greater Jigawa particularly as it affects food security, economic diversification, job creation, provision of sustainable means of livelihoods for the citizens, and overall poverty reduction.

“The capacity of over 42,000 smallholder farmers would be significantly expanded through their participation in the program as each of them would be provided with input subsidy support granted by the Federal Government equivalent to 50 per cent of the estimated cost of packaged input requirements amounting to about N361, 000 per hectare”

With the 50 per cent subsidy, the FG may be spending N180,500 on a hectare of land, giving a total of N45,125,000,000 for the total hectares to be cultivated.

The Agric Minister also revealed that the dry season farming will be funded by the $134m loan facility advanced to Nigeria by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Kyari said, “The dry season farming is an integral part of the NAGS-AP Project, made possible by a $134 million loan facility advanced to Nigeria by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and encapsulates this administration resolve to expand the capacity of our farmers to engage in the cultivation of key staples like rice, maize, cassava and wheat, across the country.”

The Minister pointed out that the Program would be technology-enabled while guaranteeing transparency and accountability in the provision of the subsidy and other support services like extension, insurance, and additional finance.

According to him, ‘The farmers will be guaranteed access to improved seeds – in this particular instance, I would like to point out that we are deploying heat tolerant wheat varieties like Borlaug 100; Attila among others’’

He also emphasized that the government would progressively invest in irrigation infrastructure projects to optimize water usage and mitigate the challenges posed by the dry season.

“We have been innovative in utilizing information and communication technology to target already proven irrigated farm clusters, deploy verified farmer data and map the farmers to agro dealer Redemption centres, and thankfully, we have already gained grounds’’ Kyari noted.

He appealed to relevant stakeholders, the private sector and civil society to seize the opportunity of the 2023/24 dry season farming initiative to usher in a new era of agricultural prosperity and ensure a brighter future for Nigerians.