Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, has announced a 50% reduction in the prices of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs to enhance food security in the state.

The announcement was made at the flag-off of the 2024 farming season’s sales and distribution of these inputs at the farm center in Minna.

The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritizing agriculture and investing in machinery and technology to increase productivity, aligning with his ambitious New Niger Agenda.

“We are committed to achieving sustainable food security, reducing food costs, and addressing unemployment. To ensure affordability and support for the 2024 farming season and beyond, we are subsidizing fertiliser prices by 50%,” Bago said.

Earlier, the Niger State Commissioner for Agriculture, Musa Salihu Bawa Bosso, remarked that his ministry is collaborating with Niger Food to cultivate 10,000 hectares of land in each of the 25 local government areas.

“The Niger State Agricultural and Mechanisation Development Authority (NAMDA) is working with Niger Food to address the needs of 20,000 smallholder farmers and 10,000 mediumholders, providing access to 1,000 power tillers and agro-inputs,” he noted.

Bosso lamented the current high prices of grains, with a bag of maize, sorghum, millet, and rice selling for between N80,000 and N90,000, which is beyond the reach of the average resident. He called on the governor to support the revival of the state’s buffer stock program, which has been inactive for several years.

“This will enable the Ministry to mop up grains and stock in state-owned designated warehouses during harvest to be sold to the public at a time like this at a friendly price,” he added.