The Bank of Agriculture (BOA), in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), has flagged off the 2026 Wet Season Input Disbursement under the Smallholder Farmer Input Support Programme in Katsina State.

The exercise marks the commencement of input distribution to smallholder farmers for the 2026 wet planting season.
In a statement, the Strategic Officer to the Managing Director of the Bank, Raherena Adeleke, said the programme underscores BOA’s commitment to modernising agricultural support systems and expanding smallholder farmers’ access to affordable farm inputs.

According to the statement, the intervention is expected to support cultivation across about 10,000 hectares through a coordinated network of more than 1,000 farmer cooperatives working with Farmer Aggregation Companies (FACs) across Katsina State.

Each participating farmer will receive four bags of NPK fertiliser and two bags of urea, while about 150 farmers attended the flag-off ceremony as representative beneficiaries ahead of the nationwide rollout.

The bank said the programme is being implemented through its strengthened agricultural delivery architecture in collaboration with the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), the umbrella body for the Farmer Aggregation Companies.
It explained that by working closely with the FACs, BOA is leveraging verified farmer data and field intelligence to ensure input loans are targeted at genuine producers.

The statement added that the programme is supported by an enhanced verification framework, including farmer profiling, Bank Verification Number (BVN) and Know Your Customer (KYC) verification, GPS farm mapping and field-level validation to improve transparency and accountability.

Representing Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda at the event, the Commissioner for Rural and Social Development, Prof. Abdulhamid Ahmed Mani, described agriculture as the backbone of the state’s economy.
He said supporting cultivation across 10,000 hectares through farmer cooperatives and aggregation companies would improve productivity, strengthen rural livelihoods and enhance food security.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BOA, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, said the initiative represents a smarter approach to delivering agricultural interventions.
“By working closely with the National Agro Inputs Dealers/Buyers Group and Farmer Aggregation Companies, and leveraging verified farmer data and field intelligence, we are ensuring government support reaches genuine farmers quickly, transparently and at scale,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Katsina State Chapter, Hon. Yau Umar Gojo Gojo, welcomed the intervention, describing timely access to fertiliser as critical to a successful planting season.

He said the programme would enable more farmers to cultivate their land, improve yields and boost household incomes.
BOA said disbursement to participating Farmer Aggregation Companies and their affiliated cooperatives has commenced and will continue across beneficiary communities in line with the 2026 wet season planting calendar.