The Governor of Niger State, Muhammad Umaru Bago, has performed the official flag-off of the federal government’s free distribution of agricultural inputs and equipment to smallholder farmers’ associations for year-round farming in the state.

An initiative by the federal government targeting 31 selected cooperatives in Niger, including women and people with special needs, was held at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Green House, Minna, on Friday, September 12, 2025.

Bago praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his ongoing support in advancing agriculture, stating that the all-year-round farming initiative of the federal government will significantly motivate farmers and enable them to be self-sufficient, thus supporting its food security and sovereignty goals.

The governor also praised the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security for choosing Niger State as a pilot state for the all-year-round farming initiative and other agricultural policies of the federal government.

He explained that the support from the federal government will strengthen what the Niger State government is already implementing in agriculture,
and it would solve 50 per cent of the farmers’ challenges.

In his keynote address, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, stated that the free distribution of farm inputs to smallholder farmers is one of the many robust policies of President Tinubu’s administration aimed at supporting year-round farming in Nigeria to build resilient and sustainable agricultural systems that would ensure food sovereignty.

Sabi noted that the president’s food policies align with numerous economic reforms aimed at boosting productive capacity in the country, creating jobs, and lowering the cost of living, while also ensuring inclusivity. He also added that the ministry is implementing many agricultural programmes and projects designed to support year-round farming.

He appreciated the giant strides made by Governor Bago in agriculture, which he said have made Niger State a model and pilot state for the implementation of federal government agricultural initiatives.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, disclosed that at least 35 per cent of the inputs are targeted at women farmers to ensure increased opportunities for women in line with the National Gender Policy on Agriculture.

Ogunbiyi hinted that the ministry is working closely with all sub-national governments, farmers’ cooperatives, and the private sector to ensure that only genuine farmers get the inputs and called on the beneficiaries to use them effectively.

In their separate goodwill messages, representatives of the Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), the Nigeria Association of Women in Agriculture, and the people with special needs appreciated the present administration, both at the federal and state levels for their continued support towards encouraging the populace engage in agricultural activities, adding that the support has made them self-reliant.

Items distributed include herbicides, liquid fertilisers, pesticides, growth enhancers, power tillers, water pumps for irrigation, grinding machines, and tricycles, amongst other items.