The Kaduna State Government has commenced the distribution of free fertiliser to 150,000 smallholder farmers across the state as part of efforts to boost agricultural productivity and strengthen food security.
The exercise is being carried out through 69 redemption centres, with three centres established in each of the state’s 23 local government areas.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Malam Murtala Dabo, disclosed this during an inspection of the Gadan Gayan Redemption Centre in Igabi Local Government Area.
Dabo said fertiliser had been delivered to warehouses across the state, while security and information technology personnel had been deployed to ensure a transparent and efficient distribution process.
He said each verified beneficiary would receive two bags of fertiliser through a technology-driven system.
“Each beneficiary will receive a message informing them where to redeem two bags of fertiliser provided by the Governor for the 2026 wet season,” Dabo said.
“The coupon will be verified, the beneficiary’s details and photograph captured, and the fertiliser handed over.”
The commissioner warned beneficiaries against diverting or selling the fertiliser, stressing that the intervention was specifically designed to support smallholder farmers.
“This fertiliser is not for sale. Anyone found selling it will be arrested and prosecuted. The support is specifically for smallholder farmers,” he said.
Dabo urged beneficiaries to apply the fertiliser directly to their farms to maximise the impact of the intervention on food production.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, said the fertiliser distribution was part of Governor Uba Sani’s increased investment in agriculture.
Maiyaki said the state’s agriculture budget had risen from about N1.4 billion, representing less than one per cent of the state budget, to more than N100 billion in 2026, representing 11.6 per cent.
He said the administration had also supported farmers with fertiliser, tractors, solar-powered boreholes and pumping machines to boost both wet and dry-season farming.
“The investment in agriculture demonstrates the administration’s commitment to improving food production, strengthening farmers’ livelihoods and ensuring food security in Kaduna State,” Maiyaki said.
A beneficiary from Dandami, Birnin Yero Ward, AbdulHamid Muhammad, expressed appreciation for the intervention, saying the fertiliser arrived at the right time for his maize farm.
“I planted maize and needed fertiliser. It arrived at exactly the right time. I thank Almighty God and Governor Uba Sani for this support,” Muhammad said.
The Chairman of Igabi Local Government Area, Sani Abdul, also commended the initiative, noting that about 80 per cent of the area’s population depended on farming.
He said the intervention would help farmers increase production and improve their livelihoods.