The Federal Government has commenced the distribution of more than 10 million bags of fertiliser under a new agricultural support programme targeting two million smallholder farmers across Nigeria.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, announced the initiative on Friday, July 17, 2026, during the flag-off ceremony in Zaria, Kaduna State.
According to a statement signed by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Head of the Department of Information in the ministry, the fertiliser distribution is being implemented under the Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund (RH-SVCF). Under the programme farmers are linked to Farmer Aggregation Companies that will support them from planting to harvest and provide access to structured markets.
Kyari said the programme represented a shift from simply distributing agricultural inputs to creating an integrated support system for farmers.
“From now on, there is an institution beside you when you plant, and an institution beside you when you sell,” Kyari told farmers at the ceremony.
The minister said that by the initiative farmers are now being made to migrate from a situation where “For generations, farmers carried every risk alone. They borrowed to plant. They prayed for rain. And at harvest, they met a buyer who knew they were desperate.”
Kyari, who said that one-third of the beneficiaries were women, added that every farmer would be linked to a Farmer Aggregation Company. He said Arzikin Noma, a Farmer Aggregation Company, was leading the flag-off in Zaria.
He stressed the importance of timely delivery of agricultural inputs, saying the government was distributing the fertiliser in mid-July to align with the planting season. He emphasised, “Fertiliser in August is a different commodity from fertiliser in July.”
According to him, the aggregators would provide certified seeds, fertiliser and extension services throughout the farming cycle, from land preparation to harvest. The minister said the aggregators would not stop at that, as they would also provide market access by purchasing farmers’ produce at a Guaranteed Minimum Price approved by the government.
In an apparent effort to assure the farmers that they would be protected against cheating, the Minister described the guaranteed price as a floor “below which the farmer’s sweat cannot be bought.”
He said the model would align the interests of farmers and aggregators, adding, “The farmer’s success and the company’s success become the same thing.”
Kyari said Arzikin Noma’s investment in local processing would ensure that agricultural produce from Nigerian farmers was converted into food and animal feed locally.
He also said the programme would build on Zaria’s longstanding agricultural research and production history, particularly the work of the Institute for Agricultural Research at Samaru.
“Today’s flag-off connects that work to the field. Research meets the farmer. Inputs meet the rains. And the harvest meets a market,” he said.
Kyari commended the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, for ensuring the delivery of agricultural inputs during the planting season.
He said Arzikin Noma had expanded its reach from fewer than 3,000 farmers to more than 400,000, with a target of reaching one million farmers by 2030.
The Minister said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security remained committed to supporting farmers throughout the production cycle.
“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security stands squarely behind the farmer. We will not abandon you at planting. We will not abandon you at harvest,” Kyari said.
He added, “A nation that cannot feed itself holds its independence on loan,” stressing that putting farmers first “is not sentiment. It is strategy.”
Kyari urged farmers to “farm well this season, and hold us to our word,” adding that the government would be judged “not by what is said today, but by what happens after the canopies are folded.”
The Group Managing Director of Arzikin Noma, Africa, High Chief Adeoluwa Michael Adeshola, said the company was established to provide better support for Nigerians involved in agriculture.
“We didn’t start this company because we wanted to sell agricultural inputs. We started because we believed there had to be a better way to support the people who feed this country,” he said.
Adeshola said agriculture depended on more than farm production, noting that financing, logistics, storage, markets and trust were also critical to the sector.
He added that no single organisation could transform agriculture alone, saying government, development partners, financial institutions, traditional institutions and the private sector all had roles to play.
Mr Ayodeji Sotinrin said the Bank of Agriculture was developing an agricultural ecosystem that would provide farmers with access to quality inputs, affordable financing, mechanisation support, aggregation systems and structured markets.
He said, “Agricultural transformation is not achieved through isolated interventions. It happens when every part of the value chain works together, from production to processing, from financing to market access, to create an environment where farmers can thrive.”
He said the programme was designed to reach two million smallholder farmers, distribute more than 10 million bags of fertiliser and ensure timely access to quality inputs.
Sotinrin disclosed that nearly 300,000 farmers had so far been onboarded, while more than 1.1 million bags of fertiliser and over 16,470 metric tonnes of improved seeds were being distributed through 20 Farmer Aggregation Companies operating in more than 20 states.
He said 15 accredited input suppliers were supporting the distribution network, creating jobs and strengthening businesses in rural communities.
The event was attended by the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, royal fathers, development partners and farmers from Zazzau and other areas.
