FG to subsidise agricultural inputs by 50% as dry season farming commences 

The federal government has agreed to subsidise agricultural inputs for farmers by 50% in the commencement of the dry season farming which will be launched on the 25th of November 2023. 

This was disclosed in a statement by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security published on the X handle of the ministry ad signed by its Technical Advisor on strategic communication.  

According to the statement, the Minister of Agriculture, Sen. Abubakar Kyari together with other dignitaries will launch the dry season farming in Jigawa state and will use the occasion to present seedlings, herbicides, pesticides and other inputs to farmers.

The dry farming will be carried out across the 36 states of the country and the FCT. 

The statement further explained that the 2023/2024 dry season farming was being supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) project. 

Also, the ministry will be executing the NAGS-AP project using digital technology as it has already geolocated and registered no fewer than 250,000 farmers.  

Furthermore, the ministry explained that for this year’s dry season farming, it is targeting crops such as maize, rice, sorghum etc with seedlings already imported from Mexico.  

Nigeria’s current food inflation at 31.5% is a source of worry to the federal government which has promised to curb the steadily increasing trend.  

In June, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security and moved agriculture to an issue of national security.

However, the action has been of little impact as food prices have increased steadily in the following months after the declaration.  

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) predicts that 26 million Nigerians will face hunger in 2024 because of food insecurity.