The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has distributed farm inputs to farmers in Plateau State as part of efforts to boost food production and strengthen national food security.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, represented by Mr. Gukas Kizito, Director of General Services in the ministry, presented the items to beneficiaries during a ceremony held on Thursday in Jos.
Kyari said the exercise aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which declares food security a national emergency and places agriculture at the heart of the nation’s economic transformation plan.
“In alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Government has declared food security as a national emergency. This administration has demonstrated total political will to transform the agriculture sector by making food security a priority,” the minister said.
According to him, the distributed inputs — which include pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, improved seeds, water pumps, and other essential materials — would be shared among 25 commodity associations, cooperative groups, farmers with special needs, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
“By this exercise, the Federal Government is supporting small-scale farmers with these inputs and equipment to boost food production and enhance yield,” Kyari added.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to continue rolling out initiatives and programmes to support farmers, increase productivity, and ensure the nation meets its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on hunger and poverty reduction.
The State Coordinator of the ministry, Mr. Kenneth Watlik, warned beneficiaries against selling the inputs, emphasizing that strict monitoring would be carried out to ensure proper utilization.
“We are going to conduct strict monitoring; if we find anyone wanting, we will not hesitate to prosecute such a person,” he cautioned.
Also speaking, Dr. Nengak Yilkudi, Permanent Secretary of the Plateau State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, commended the Federal Government for the intervention, describing it as timely and consistent with the state government’s goal of making agriculture its major economic driver.
