In response to the soaring cost of agricultural inputs that has forced many farmers to suspend rice and maize cultivation, Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has introduced a 45–50% subsidy on fertilizer to ease the burden on farmers across the state.
As part of the initiative, fertilizer trucks are being dispatched to all 27 local government areas. Kirikasamma Local Government Council received 1,200 bags of fertilizer, which will be sold to farmers at a subsidized rate.
The Head of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Sabi’u Kani, announced that the NPK 20:10:10 fertilizer from Solar Brand would be sold at N28,800 per bag under the subsidy program, compared to the market price of N50,000 to N56,000.
Flagging off the distribution in Kirikasamma’s 10 wards, Council Chairman Muhammad Maji Wakili Marma said Governor Namadi’s intervention was aimed at reducing the hardship faced by farmers due to high fertilizer prices.
Marma explained that ward-level distribution committees, led by each ward’s councilor, would oversee the sales to ensure transparency and equitable access.
In his vote of thanks, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabila Suga, commended both the governor and council chairman, noting that the subsidy would allow smallholder farmers to increase their profit margins ahead of what is expected to be a bumper harvest season.
Credit: Musa Muhammed
