The Cross River State Government, in collaboration with the federal government, has commenced the distribution of 20,000 bags of free fertiliser to 8,000 farmers across the state as part of efforts to boost agricultural production and cushion rising input costs.
The distribution, flagged off in Calabar, is being implemented under the Farm Input Support Programme (FISP), an intervention of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Johnson Ebokpo, said the intervention was designed to support smallholder farmers whose productivity had been affected by the rising cost of agricultural inputs.
Ebokpo, who represented Governor Bassey Otu, said the federal government introduced the fertiliser subsidy to reduce the burden of input costs and improve food production.
“The idea behind it is in recognition of the high cost of inputs and in order to support productivity and production.
“The federal government decided to subsidise for farmers the input source of procuring fertilisers. The fertilisers are free of charge,” he said.
The commissioner said the state government had followed the programme’s guidelines in selecting beneficiaries to ensure that the intervention reached genuine farmers.
“We have followed the framework to ensure that the process is properly coordinated, transparent and targeted at farmers who meet the prescribed requirements,” he said.
According to him, the distribution, which followed the South-South zonal flag-off on June 27, was being carried out in partnership with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) across the state’s 18 local government areas.
He said the impact of the intervention would ultimately be measured by improved agricultural output and the welfare of farmers rather than the number of fertiliser bags distributed.
“The real success will be seen in the farms; in increased production, improved yields, better incomes for farmers and more food on our tables,” Ebokpo said.
The Team Lead of NADF, Lekan Alabi, said the intervention was part of the federal government’s broader agricultural agenda aimed at improving food security and sustainability.
He said the success of the programme in Cross River would determine the possibility of further interventions in the state.
“This is just the first. Second one is also coming. And as much as we are able to get impactful results, I can guarantee you that we will be coming back again to do the same in Cross River,” Alabi said.
The State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Sampson Maddy George, said the distribution had also dispelled concerns over possible diversion of the fertiliser.
“All the fertilisers they brought to my doorstep are intact,” she said, urging beneficiaries to use the inputs for their intended purpose.
The chairman of AFAN in the state, Rev. Ojikpong Nyam Bisong, described the intervention as unusual and commended President Bola Tinubu, Governor Otu and the Commissioner for Agriculture for supporting farmers.
He urged beneficiaries to ensure that the fertiliser was used judiciously to increase food production, stressing the strategic importance of agriculture to the state.
“What we are receiving today and in the days to come will be used accordingly for the purpose of growing Cross River State,” he said, describing Cross River as the “food basket of Nigeria.”
