News in brief: The Sokoto State government has started distributing farm inputs and equipment to more than 1,000 farmers to support them and improve food security. Despite these efforts, food inflation remains a concern in the country.
The Sokoto State government has commenced the distribution of farm inputs and processing equipment to 1,180 farmers under the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) program.
According to a news report, the items distributed include milling and grinding machines, fertilisers, improved variety seeds, pesticides, goats, sheep, and chicks.
NG-CARES was originally designed to support small-scale farmers and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its purpose extends to improving access to food security services and financial grants to poor and vulnerable households. It is a $750 million state-driven initiative with the World Bank’s support.
Ahmad Aliyu, Sokoto state governor, said that the program is in line with his administration’s agenda, which aims to improve the well-being of the people. He urged the beneficiaries to use the items to increase their investments, and improve their livelihoods.
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Muhammad Wamakko, added that the farmers have been trained in financial literacy, saving techniques, cooperatives, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development, micro enterprise, and management.
Sokoto was also one the North Western states of Nigeria that received subsidised farm inputs last month under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase One (ATASP-1) programme, which is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
These aids to farmers are supposed to boost production, reduce costs for farmers, and improve food security in the state and country. However, the latest reports show that food inflation is not slowing down.
