By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security said it is working hard to ensure that the lapses experienced during the distribution of the subsidized farming inputs to wheat farmers in Jigawa state for the 2024/25 dry season does not repeat.
The State Co-ordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture Engr. Sale Salisu gave the assurance while conducting newsmen on assessment visit on some of the distribution centers where the distribution of the items are taking place across the state.
The assurance is coming against the backdrop of allegations of sharp practices involving some agro-dealers handling the distribution of the materials to the farmers which they alleged was not following the laid down rules and regulations.
Some of the centres visited two centres in Dutse, the state capital and Tsakuwawa in community in Miga local government council, all in the Jigawa central district.
Under the exercise, tagged: National Agricultural Growth Scheme & Agro-Pocket (NAGS&AP) Inputs Packages for 2024/25 Dry Season, more than 60, 000 dry season farmer are being supplied fertilizer, improved seedlings and insecticides at highly subsidized rates across the state.
At both centres, farmers who gathered in their hundreds were seen complaining about slow of the exercise, which they claimed was affecting the wheat farming in the state.
For example one Umar Abbas Dutse said that he has been coming to the centre to access the item but has been unable to get the items. Similar complaints were heard in Tsakuwawa center.
But Salisu blamed the farmers’ uncooperative attitude for the delay in the distribution of the materials, assuring, however that everything was being done to endure that every farmers who are eligible and who is captured would receive their packages.
He added that Jigawa state has about 80,000 allocation from the federal government because of its lead position in wheat farming in the country.
He said the state has a total of 60, 000 registered wheat farmers out if which, but hoped that, “Out of the 80,000 allocated to Jigawa, we have exhausted about 60, 000 but we have not finished the programme as we expect to ensure that we meet our required target for the year.
“In Jigawa state, we have 64 existing centres for the distribution. In all these centres we have clusters of which we’ll ensure the distribution of fertilizer and other materials, which will be distributed at the right time.”
He identified some of the challenges facing the exercise as among others uncooperative attitude of the farmers, transformation problem, insecurity and unstable ICT connection.
“As of today, more than 60,000 farmers in Jigawa, have received 2024/2025 inputs, including three bags of NPK, two bags of Urea fertilizers and one bag of certified wheat seeds, at subsidized rate of only N159,189.50 after receiving SMS alerts through their mobile phones and screened at the distribution centres”, he said.
The coordinator who lamented that the distribution exercise was being hindered with little challenges said, the ministry noted the challenges from their part, and promised to rectify it during the next season distribution exercise.
He identified the challenges as late distribution of the Inputs to the farmers, ICT and transportation challenges, as well as the low cooperation from the farmers.
While expressing their views on the exercises, majority of the beneficiaries decried delay in the distribution as according to most of farmers, the time of wheat planting is almost over as it’s now end of December.
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