Picture of farm implements distributed free to smallholders farmers in Imo state by Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security.
The Federal Government on Saturday distributed free farm implements to 90 groups of smallholder farmers in Imo State as part of efforts to boost agricultural productivity and achieve national food security.
The distribution, which took place in Owerri, was carried out by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who was represented by a director in the ministry, Dr. Iyere-Usiahon Perpetua.
Kyari said the initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and underscored the administration’s commitment to making food security a top national priority.
According to him, food security remains a critical global objective, as reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“To address the underlying challenges hindering the attainment of national food security, the present administration is implementing wide-ranging economic reforms aimed at stimulating productive capacity, creating jobs, and reducing the cost of living,” he said.
He listed the items distributed to the farmers to include power tillers, herbicides, liquid fertilisers, knapsack sprayers and water pumps.
The implements were delivered through commodity associations, cooperative societies, farmers with special needs and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Kyari recalled that President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security in July 2023, noting that the move demonstrated the administration’s resolve to transform the agricultural sector.
“Since our assumption of office on August 21, 2023, we have reviewed existing initiatives and programmes to ensure they are properly aligned with the core mandate of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security,” he said.
He added that the ministry had since rolled out several programmes and projects to address farmers’ challenges and ensure that food is available, accessible and affordable to Nigerians.
According to the minister, the Federal Government remains committed to aligning all agricultural sector initiatives with presidential priorities, while also strengthening collaboration between the federal and state governments, as well as partnerships with non-governmental organisations and the private sector.
He explained that the ministry had also introduced short-term intervention plans to make essential farm inputs more affordable and accessible to small-scale farmers through transparent and accountable processes.
“Our foremost concern is to facilitate access to agro-inputs and basic farm machinery for smallholder farmers who are constrained by the high cost of these essential inputs,” Kyari said.
He noted that the programme was designed to support farmers, boost food production, address the current food crisis and advance the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goal of zero hunger.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Imo State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Alexander Onwumere, urged the Federal Government to sustain the programme, describing it as timely and impactful.
Onwumere expressed satisfaction that the implements reached farmers promptly and warned beneficiaries against selling the tools, stressing that anyone caught doing so would face severe sanctions.
Also speaking, Chief Tobias Iwu, former First Deputy National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), commended the Federal Government for the intervention, noting that the tools arrived at a critical time.
Iwu advised farmers to use the implements judiciously to improve productivity and maximise the benefits of the programme.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Chinedu Madu, Head of the Umudioka Multipurpose Cooperative in Orlu, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and appealed for the sustained implementation of the initiative.
