Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has subsidised the sales and distribution of fertiliser and other agricultural inputs by 50 percent and launched the 2024 farming season in Minna on Tuesday.

The governor, who performed the annual ceremony at the farm centre in Minna, affirmed the commitment of his administration to huge agricultural investment leveraging on the use of machinery and modern technology to drive maximum productivity in line with the New Niger Agenda.

He said agricultural development could achieve sustainable food security, reduce food costs, and address unemployment. Hence, his government decided to subsidise fertiliser by 50 percent to ensure the affordability of farm inputs.

Also, the state commissioner for agriculture, Musa Salihu Bawa Bosso, said the state is prioritising the cultivation of 10,000 hectares of land in each of the 25 local government areas in collaboration with Niger Food.

He disclosed that the Niger State Agricultural and Mechanization Development Authority (NAMDA) is working with Niger Food to address the needs of 20,000 smallholder farmers and 10,000 medium holders, having access to 1,000 power tillers and agro inputs.

He, however, appealed to the governor to support the resuscitation of the state’s buffer stock programme, which has been comatose for several years, to purchase food crops stuck for sale at subsidised rates when necessary.