BOA distributes inputs to 500,000 farmers

The Bank of Agriculture said it had commenced the distribution of maize seeds, fertilisers and crop protection products to 500,000 smallholder farmers across the country.

The Federal Government-owned bank said the development was under the Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund of the FG, as part of efforts to strengthen food security and improve rural livelihoods across the country.

This was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent on Sunday by the Head, Operations Lead, Office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr Adam Mohammed.

In the statement, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, disclosed this at the flag-off of input distribution held in Karau-Karau, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Thursday.

Represented at the occasion by the Divisional Head, Finance and Strategy, Mr Osho Adekunle, Sotinrin said, “The intervention formed 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 stated, “The programme has already recorded significant progress, with close to 200,000 farmers financed, while 1.8 million bags of fertiliser and 329,000 bags of quality, high-yielding seeds were being distributed through 20 Farmer Aggregation Companies in more than 20 states.”

The BOA boss also noted that more than one-third of the beneficiaries were women, reflecting the Federal Government’s deliberate commitment to promoting inclusive agricultural development, describing the initiative as a major component of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at translating government policy into practical support for farmers through funding, institutional backing and timely access to quality agricultural inputs.

“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.

“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,” Sotinrin explained.

He added that the Bank of Agriculture was proud to serve as the vehicle through which the Federal Government’s agricultural intervention was reaching farmers across the country.

Addressing the beneficiaries, Sotinrin said the success of the programme would ultimately be measured by improved harvests, higher yields, increased incomes and enhanced national food security.

He urged them to make judicious use of the inputs, follow agronomic guidance, keep accurate farm records, and promptly report any challenges encountered during the farming season.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Solomon Mathew lauded the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention aimed at giving succour to farmers across the country.

Mathew said the intervention would ease the burden of procuring farm inputs, which had become increasingly expensive, enabling smallholder farmers to cultivate larger portions of their farmland and improve productivity during the current farming season.