The Kaduna State Government has announced plans to distribute 400 truckloads of fertilizer free of charge to 100,000 smallholder farmers across the state to boost agricultural productivity, ensure food security, and reduce the cost of farming.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, during a press briefing held after a multi-stakeholder committee meeting responsible for overseeing the distribution process.

Dabo noted that Kaduna is currently the only state in Nigeria distributing fertilizer free of charge to smallholder farmers.

He emphasised that the initiative is targeted at reaching the most vulnerable farmers, ensuring no one is left behind.

“Our target is to directly reach 100,000 vulnerable farmers, ensuring that even the poorest are not left behind,” he stated.

The distribution will initially commence with 300 trucks of fertilizer, with plans to scale up to 400 trucks. The initiative is expected to eventually benefit up to 400,000 farmers across all 23 local government areas of the state.

To ensure transparency and equitable distribution, the state government has established a broad-based committee comprising religious leaders, civil society organizations, labour unions, local government officials, and security agencies.

This structure, according to the Commissioner, will also be replicated at the grassroots level to monitor distribution and verify beneficiaries.

“This committee is also being replicated at the grassroots to monitor distribution and verify beneficiaries, ensuring the right people get the support,” Dabo said.

In addition to the fertilizer distribution, the state is clearing 20,000 hectares of farmland to expand cultivation areas, especially in communities that were previously affected by insecurity or lacked access to arable land.

“Our farmers often struggle to get land for cultivation. Now, we’re aggressively opening up new farmlands and introducing basic irrigation infrastructure, including systems to harvest and store rainwater. This is a major push for productivity,” he explained.

While smallholder farmers will receive fertilizer at no cost, commercial farmers will benefit from a 60 percent subsidy, paying only ₦30,000 per bag.

“This strategy is designed to reduce production costs for our commercial farmers and encourage large-scale cultivation, without compromising our support for vulnerable farmers,” the Commissioner added.