Nigeria: The federal government subsidizes inputs for 500 wheat farmers

The federal government, in collaboration with the Cross River State Government, has subsidised inputs for 500 farmers to produce 500 metric tonnes of wheat in the Obudu Local Government Area of the state. The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this during the input distribution to the farmers in Obudu on Saturday. Mr Kyari said that both governments decided to subsidise the inputs by paying 75 and 25 per cent, respectively, to spare the farmers the pain of sourcing funds. Represented by Jessem Ubi, the chief administrative officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, the minister said that the wheat cultivation was under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) programme. According to him, while the government committed N167 million for the 500 wheat farmers in Obudu, the Cross River State Government paid N56 million, representing 75 and 25 per cent, respectively. “This payment also includes footing the bill for land ...