Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, on Thursday inaugurated the distribution of 150 trucks of subsidised fertiliser to farmers, slashing the price by 50 per cent in a bid to curb production costs and bolster food security.
Under the intervention, a bag of fertiliser normally retailing at N50,000 will now be sold to farmers at a subsidised rate of N25,000. The Governor underscored agriculture as a priority sector, stating that the initiative aims to secure a bumper harvest and reduce the overall cost of farm produce.
To ensure the commodities reach their intended beneficiaries, the government has constituted distribution committees at both state and local government levels to prevent diversion. Mr Yusuf revealed that the 150 trucks contain 90,000 bags of fertiliser, which will be dispersed across the 44 local government areas and subsequently to 484 wards. This translates to an average of three trucks per local government, with each ward expected to have 70 beneficiaries.
The Governor noted that the procurement was a joint venture between the Kano State Government and the 44 local government councils. He urged all committee members to discharge their duties with sincerity, integrity, and the fear of God.
In addition to the state-led effort, Mr Yusuf disclosed that Kano had also received 33 trucks of fertiliser from the Federal Government. He expressed the state’s gratitude to the President for the timely intervention, which he said would provide much-needed relief to agrarian communities across the region.