By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

Farmers in Abia, Kebbi, and Yobe States have received assorted agricultural inputs from the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA, to boost food production.

The verified and accredited benefiting farmers received high-grade fertilizer, herbicides, and improved maize seeds for farmers at Abia and Yobe States while Kebbi farmers received improved rice seeds.

Meanwhile, the input distribution is basically to assist farmers across the country in order to up-scale and maximize crop cultivation for improved yields towards boosting food production and affordability.

In Abia State, the benefiting farmers converged on the NALDA Institute of Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship, Isi Ala Okpu Community, Osisioma Local Government Area to receive the farm inputs from NALDA officials led by the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne.

It was made known that the farmers were nominated by the State Government from all local governments of the state including those nominated by the state government and various farmers associations.

Ikonne explained and tasked the benefiting farmers to properly utilize the empowerment package for the purpose it was meant for, and the essence of the empowerment programme.

He also assured the farmers that NALDA will continue to support them with agricultural inputs on a regular basis, based on the capture of their biodata in NALDA’s database for follow-up assistance, in which more farmers’ data will be captured and regularly updated.

According to the NALDA boss, the empowerment programme for farmers, which is a fulfillment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to ensure Nigerians get enough food at affordable prices.

He said: “The government is making sure that you can produce what you will eat by providing your inputs.

“The essence of what we are doing here today is to ensure Nigerians understand the importance of farming, make sure we produce what we eat, and to reduce the price of food in the market. We are expecting nothing less than 340 hectares to be cultivated by these farmers.”

One of the beneficiaries, Victoria Nwuzor, expressed joy and thanks for the intervention and assistance given to her and other farmers by President Bola Tinubu and described it as commendable.

Azeezat Jimoh, the Women Leader of Yoruba Community and Muslim Women in Abia State appreciated NALDA and President Tinubu for the timely intervention and also inclusion of a member of her community among benefiting farmers.

Meanwhile, in Kebbi State, the Administrator, NALDA, Kebbi State Office, Bashar Bunza, led the NALDA team to distribute the agric inputs to beneficiaries from the benefiting Local Government Areas.

The Chairman of the Ngaski Local Government Area, Hon Manir Abubakar, commended the distribution exercise and appreciated NALDA for the kind gesture, and Abubakar noted that the inputs include high yielding rice seeds, fertilisers and herbicides, and added that it would help farmers a great deal to up-scale food production.

However, the Council boss counseled the beneficiaries for proper utilization of the inputs for the purpose it has been intended, therefore warned them not to sell them.

One of the farmers, Habibu Aliyu, a rice farmer, described NALDA’s intervention as timely, which had also reduced the challenge of getting fertilizer and, therefore promised to properly use the inputs.

Also, another rice farmer, Najima Hamza, acknowledged that the inputs from NALDA will definitely boost his output and raise his standard of living from the profit he will make.

In Yobe State, the NALDA team led by the Director, Finance, Suleiman Lawal, distributed the farm inputs to benefiting farmers in Gashua, Bade Local Government Area, and the beneficiaries were drawn from six Local Government Areas of the State including Bade, Yusufari, Jakusko, Nguru, Karasuwa, and Machina.

Meanwhile, the NALDA team sensitized the beneficiaries on the application of the inputs for maximum yields, and also disclosed that the NALDA empowerment programme is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to NALDA to reach out to farmers across the country to ensure they produce food in order to achieve food sufficiency.

It would be recalled that Tinubu had declared a state of emergency on food production, hence the move by NALDA to compliment the President’s food security project through empowerment programmes to cushion the effect of high food prices.

Meanwhile, outputs from this intervention are expected in the next three to four months, with the hope that food prices will abate in the market.

According to NALDA, the empowerment of farmers will continue in order to encourage and attract more Nigerians to venture into agribusiness and also achieve self-sufficiency in food production.