By Rita Iliya
Minna – The Niger Government says it will begin the distribution of fertiliser at subsidised rates to farmers in the state between March and April.
Alhaji Nuhu Dukku, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Thursday.
He said that the state government would partner with a private company to procure the needed quantity of fertiliser for the farmers, instead of relying on fertiliser supplies from the Federal Government.
“This year, we will not wait to purchase fertiliser from the Federal Government; this is because we want to ensure that our farmers get the fertiliser early enough to enable them to start farming early.
“Due to the early distribution of fertiliser, our farmers will be able to plant their crops early,’’ he said.
Dukku said that distribution and monitoring committees would be set up in all the fertiliser distribution centres to ensure that the farm input got to only genuine farmers.
He said that the state government would also purchase tractors and give them to the farmers as loan, at subsidised rates, so as to boost food production.
The commissioner commended the farmers for recording a bumper harvest in 2017 and urged them to strive toward greater food production in 2018.
