By Palma Eleye
The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has begun the nationwide distribution of fertilisers, maize seeds and crop protection products to about 500,000 smallholder farmers under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund.
The initiative, aimed at strengthening food security and improving rural livelihoods, will cover farmers in more than 20 states. It is expected to support the cultivation of approximately 520,000 hectares of farmland and produce an estimated 2.6 million tonnes of additional food.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, disclosed this during the official launch of the distribution exercise in Dutse, Jigawa State.
He was represented by the bank’s Divisional Head of Finance and Strategy, Osho Adekunle, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Head of Operations Lead in the Office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Adam Mohammed.
Sotinrin described the intervention as part of a nationwide agricultural support programme designed to boost food production and strengthen the country’s agricultural sector.
“The intervention forms part of a nationwide programme targeting nearly 500,000 farmers, who will cultivate about 520,000 hectares of farmland, with an expected output of at least 2.6 million tonnes of additional food for Nigeria’s food basket,” he said.
He added that the programme has already made significant progress, with nearly 200,000 farmers financed across the country.
According to him, about 1.8 million bags of fertiliser and 329,000 bags of improved, high-yielding seeds are being distributed through 20 Farmer Aggregation Companies operating in more than 20 states.
Sotinrin noted that over one-third of the beneficiaries are women, describing the programme as a reflection of the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive agricultural development under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This initiative is a concrete expression of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President, a policy that moves beyond promises to deliver structure, funding and institutional support for agriculture,” he said.
“It tells every Nigerian farmer that they are not alone, as the government and its institutions stand with them from the soil to the market.”
He reaffirmed the Bank of Agriculture’s commitment to ensuring that government-backed agricultural interventions reach farmers across the country.
The BOA chief also urged beneficiaries to make effective use of the farm inputs by following recommended agronomic practices, keeping accurate farm records and promptly reporting any challenges encountered during the farming season.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Solomon Mathew commended the Federal Government for the intervention, describing it as timely and capable of reducing the financial burden of purchasing farm inputs.
He expressed confidence that the support would enable smallholder farmers to cultivate larger portions of their land and increase productivity during the current farming season.
