No fewer than 12,000 farmers across Edo State’s three senatorial districts are set to benefit from the Federal Government’s free fertiliser distribution programme as authorities intensify efforts to boost agricultural production and strengthen food security.
The initiative was officially flagged off in Benin City, where the Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Jerry Uwangue, disclosed that only farmers profiled by the state government would benefit from the exercise.
He said the fertilisers were supplied by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to support increased food production nationwide.
Uwangue explained that Governor Monday Okpebholo directed the profiling of farmers across all 18 local government areas to ensure the intervention reaches genuine farmers.
According to him, more than 12,000 farmers have already been captured in the state’s database, while registration remains open to accommodate more eligible beneficiaries.
He assured farmers that the distribution process would be transparent, fair and subject to public scrutiny.
The commissioner further revealed that Edo State received 8,000 bags of fertiliser in the first phase of the programme, which will be distributed across the three senatorial districts using the verified farmers’ database.
He urged beneficiaries to remain in their respective local government areas, noting that agricultural desk officers would coordinate the distribution, which is scheduled to commence next week, with fertilisers delivered directly to verified farmers.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Assistant General Manager Lecky Dauda described the initiative as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to enhancing food security, improving rural livelihoods and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
He added that the programme complements the Edo State Government’s SHINE Agenda and urged beneficiaries to utilise the fertilisers effectively to increase crop yields and agricultural productivity.
The Edo State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Imade Patricia, commended President Bola Tinubu for the intervention, describing it as a timely initiative that would improve farmers’ incomes and strengthen food production across the state.
She assured all profiled farmers that the fertilisers were ready for distribution and urged beneficiaries to make responsible use of the support.
Some beneficiaries, including Iserhien Deborah, Peter Igiorigkhi and Gbegbega Fadeyi, expressed appreciation to both the Federal and Edo State governments, saying the fertiliser intervention would reduce production costs, improve harvests and contribute significantly to food security in the State.
