Kaduna state government has bought 20, 492 metric tonnes of assorted fertilisers at the sum of N2.399 billion to distribute to farmers in the state at 60 per cent subsidy for this year’s farming season, Governor Mukhtar Yero has said.
Addressing the flag-off ceremony for the distribution, Yero said farmers in the state would benefit from subsidised farm inputs under the State Agriculture Support Scheme (SASS) and the Growth Enhancement Programme (GES) in partnership with the federal government.
He said in addition to the 60 per cent subsidy, farmers under the GES programme after procuring each bag of fertiliser at N2,700, would get one for free jointly paid for at 50-50 ratio by the federal and state governments.
Yero said farmers would pay, N2,500 per bag of NPK as against the market price of N6,250; urea goes for N2,400 as against N6,000 market price, SSP is to be sold at N1,960 as against N4,900 market price, while organic micro nutricit goes for N1,960 as against N4,900 market price.
He said: “The state and local government councils have purchased 20,492 metric tonnes of the commodities to all farmers in the state at a total sum of N2.399 billion. Chairmen of local government councils should ensure that the assorted fertilisers within their domain are sold to farmers at 60 per cent subsidy and further ensure that no fertiliser is diverted.
“A monitoring team from the state government will go round to monitor and take records of all distributions and sales of the commodity to farmers.”
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Isaac Bodams, said the government had introduced comprehensive approach to agricultural revival in the state.
He said the state government had provided 15,000 improved seedlings of palm trees in the Kubacha Nursery for distribution to farmers this year.
The Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, in his remarks, thanked the state government for the gesture and called on farmers to take maximum advantage of the subsidised fertilisers to improve their yields at the end of the farming season.
