The state Secretary of AFAN, Mallam Saleh Maigari-Tumfafi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kano.
Speaking on behalf of the State Chairman, Alhaji Sani Abubakar-Kofarmata, he said the interventions had increased farmers’ access to fertiliser, seeds, agrochemicals and farm equipment at subsidised rates.
Maigari-Tumfafi said thousands of farmers benefited from fertiliser and seeds distributed under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-Pocket programme in 2023 and 2024.
He said that wheat farmers received farm inputs, including seedlings, fertiliser and agrochemicals, at 50 per cent subsidy in December 2023.
He added that wheat farmers also received similar support at 50 per cent subsidy in December 2024 under the National Agricultural Development initiatives.
He said that rice farmers also received free fertiliser and seedlings in June and July 2024.
“Rice, maize, sorghum and millet farmers also received fertiliser, seeds and agrochemicals at 50 per cent subsidy between August and September 2024, ” he said.
He said over 42,000 bags of fertiliser were distributed to farmers in 2025, with beneficiaries receiving two bags each free of charge under a programme supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“In 2026, over 20,000 bags of fertiliser were distributed through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“About 5,040 farmers benefited, with each farmer receiving four bags of fertiliser free of charge,” he said.
He said that about 80 cooperative groups and farmers’ associations also benefited from free fertiliser, farm inputs and equipment.
He listed the items to include pesticides, sprayers, power tillers, herbicides, liquid fertilisers and water pumps among others.
He said the interventions had improved farmers’ access to inputs, increased productivity and encouraged more people, particularly youths, to engage in agriculture.
“Some farmers who suffered losses have returned to farming because of the support, which is helping to sustain food production,” he said.
He said the Federal Government had responded to farmers’ complaints over crop diseases, citing interventions for sugarcane farmers affected by stem-borer and tomato farmers affected by Tuta absoluta.
He said the interventions had contributed to increased self-reliance, employment opportunities and economic activities in rural and urban communities.
Maigari-Tumfafi, however, called for increased investment in rural infrastructure, warehouses and processing clusters, as well as affordable single-digit interest loans for farmers.
In a related development, a small-holder rice farmer, Mallam Murtala Musa, who is physically challenged, commended the Federal Government for including vulnerable groups in its agricultural support programmes.
Musa said the intervention had improved his livelihood and enabled him to increase his farm output, adding that he recorded up to 200 bags of rice and other produce annually.
He urged the government to sustain the inclusion of persons living with disabilities in future agricultural programmes.
A maize farmer, Rabiu Khalifa, said the subsidised/free fertiliser and improved access to farm inputs had reduced cost of production and helped him increase yield.
He said the interventions had enabled him to cultivate more hectares and encouraged other farmers in his community to remain in farming.
Similarly, a sorghum farmer, Yusuf Muhammad said access to fertiliser and improved seeds had resulted in better crop performance and increased output.
Muhammad appealed to the government to sustain the intervention and ensure that inputs reached farmers early enough before the planting season.”