The Nigerian Government has begun the distribution of subsidised fertiliser to smallholder farmers in the South-South under the Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme (FISP).
The programme was flagged off in Calabar, Cross River State, to boost food production and strengthen food security. A total of 80,640 bags of fertiliser were allocated to 20,160 farmers across Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Edo states.
Represented by Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, Governor Bassey Otu said smallholder farmers remain the backbone of Nigeria’s agricultural sector and require continued government support to increase productivity.
He praised President Bola Tinubu and the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) for the intervention, noting that it would enhance food security, improve yields and support rural economic growth.
Otu assured that the programme would be implemented transparently, with strict monitoring to ensure the fertiliser reaches genuine beneficiaries and prevent diversion.
Speaking for the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, the ministry’s Cross River State Coordinator, Maddy George Sampson, described the fertiliser as a grant meant to help farmers increase production and improve food security.
She credited Cross River’s agricultural progress to ongoing reforms, including investments in improved seedlings, mechanisation and farmer cooperatives.
Representing NADF Executive Secretary Mohammed Ibrahim, Olalekan Alabi said the initiative targets 128,930 farmers nationwide through the distribution of 515,720 bags of fertiliser.
He added that each beneficiary in the South-South would receive four fully subsidised bags, stressing that all fertilisers are locally produced, traceable and clearly marked “Not for Sale.”
Alabi also commended Cross River State for its farmer-focused programmes and efforts to strengthen agricultural development.
