The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) continues its farming support by distributing inputs to farmers in Ebonyi and Osun states. The input distribution is aimed at assisting farmers across the country to maximise crop cultivation for improved yields and increased food production.
Addressing farmers in both states, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, said the Authority would continue to distribute the inputs till they get to farmers in every state of the country. Ikonne, who was represented by the Head, Soil Science Department, Lucius Ndimele, said NALDA, acting on the directives of President Bola Tinubu would ensure that Nigerians produce enough food that would meet the demand of the country.
He added that the distribution exercise targets genuine farmers at the grassroots in order to boost food production and access to staple foods in the country. He said, “The government is making sure that you can produce what you’ll eat by providing you inputs and the essence of what we’re doing here today is to ensure Nigerians understand the importance of farming, make sure we produce what we eat, and reduce the price of food in the market. It is expected that in the next 3 to 4 months, the outputs from this programme, would help in the significant drop in the cost of food items in the market.”
The states that are yet to get the support of the agency have nothing to fear, as helping is coming their way too. The NALDA boss said, “The empowerment of farmers by NALDA is a continuous exercise to encourage more Nigerians to go into farming to ensure self-sufficiency in food production thus boosting food security for the teeming population.”
No fewer than 900 accredited beneficiaries of the empowerment programme received a NALDA branded bag containing high-grade fertiliser, herbicides, and improved rice and maize seeds in Ebonyi State, while rice and beans seeds were distributed in Osun state which can effectively cover half an hectare of farmland.
In Ebonyi, 400 farmers consisting of 200 maize and 200 rice farmers were drawn from 10 communities in Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency for the exercise.