The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has taken significant steps towards enhancing agricultural productivity in Nigeria by distributing agrarian inputs to 900 accredited farmers in Ebonyi and Osun States.
The initiative, part of NALDA’s agricultural empowerment program, aims to support farmers in maximizing crop cultivation for improved yields and increased food production.
The beneficiaries, consisting of farmers from both states, received NALDA-branded bags containing high-grade fertilizer, herbicides, and improved rice, maize, and bean seeds.
The distribution of inputs was tailored to the comparative advantage of each state, ensuring that farmers receive resources best suited to their agricultural needs.
Prince Paul Ikonne, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NALDA, emphasized the importance of the initiative in aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to prioritize food production in Nigeria.
Represented by Lucius Ndimele, Head of the Soil Science Department at NALDA, Ikonne assured farmers that NALDA would continue distributing inputs nationwide until every farmer benefits from the program.
”The distribution exercise targets genuine farmers at the grassroots level, aiming to boost food production nationwide.
”By providing agricultural inputs, the government seeks to encourage self-sufficiency in food production and reduce the prices of food items in the market,” he said.
In Ebonyi State, 400 beneficiaries received the empowerment packages, including maize and rice farmers from 10 communities in Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency.
Similarly, in Osun State, 500 farmers from all Local Government Areas were empowered with maize and bean seeds in Oshogbo.
In a related development, the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has unveiled a support package valued at N1.6 billion to assist ginger farmers in response to the recent blight epidemic.
Mohammed Abu Ibrahim, Executive Secretary of the NADF, announced the initiative recently during the launch of the Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce support initiative.
The support, part of the Ginger Recovery Advancement and Transformation for Economic Empowerment package, targets 15,000 ginger farmers across Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory affected by the recent ginger blight epidemic.