AFAN: FG Fertilizer Support Lifts Farmers' Output in Kano

The Federal Government's fertiliser and farm-input interventions have improved farmers' productivity and livelihoods in Kano State, the Kano chapter of the All-Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has said.

The state Secretary of AFAN, Mallam Saleh Maigari-Tumfafi, disclosed this in an interview on Wednesday in Kano, speaking on behalf of the State Chairman, Alhaji Sani Abubakar-Kofarmata. He said the interventions had increased farmers' access to fertiliser, seeds, agrochemicals and farm equipment at subsidised rates.

Maigari-Tumfafi said thousands of farmers benefited from fertiliser and seeds distributed under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-Pocket programme in 2023 and 2024. He said wheat farmers received inputs—including seedlings, fertiliser and agrochemicals—at a 50 per cent subsidy in December 2023, with similar support extended in December 2024 under the National Agricultural Development initiatives.

He added that rice farmers received free fertiliser and seedlings in June and July 2024, while rice, maize, sorghum and millet farmers received fertiliser, seeds and agrochemicals at a 50 per cent subsidy between August and September that year.

According to him, more than 42,000 bags of fertiliser were distributed to farmers in 2025, with beneficiaries receiving two bags each free of charge under a programme supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). "In 2026, over 20,000 bags of fertiliser were distributed through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. About 5,040 farmers benefited, with each farmer receiving four bags of fertiliser free of charge," he said.

He added that about 80 cooperative groups and farmers' associations also benefited from free fertiliser, farm inputs and equipment, including pesticides, sprayers, power tillers, herbicides, liquid fertilisers and water pumps.

Maigari-Tumfafi said the interventions had improved farmers' access to inputs, boosted productivity and encouraged more people—particularly youths—to take up agriculture. "Some farmers who suffered losses have returned to farming because of the support, which is helping to sustain food production," he said.

He said the Federal Government had also responded to farmers' complaints over crop diseases, citing interventions for sugarcane farmers affected by stem-borer and tomato farmers affected by Tuta absoluta, and noted that the interventions had contributed to greater self-reliance, employment opportunities and economic activity in both rural and urban communities.

He, however, called for increased investment in rural infrastructure, warehouses and processing clusters, as well as affordable, single-digit interest loans for farmers.

In a related development, Mallam Murtala Musa, a smallholder rice farmer who is physically challenged, commended the Federal Government for including vulnerable groups in its agricultural support programmes. He said the intervention had improved his livelihood and enabled him to boost his farm output, recording up to 200 bags of rice and other produce annually, and urged the government to sustain the inclusion of persons with disabilities in future agricultural programmes.

A maize farmer, Mr Rabiu Khalifa, said the subsidised and free fertiliser, along with improved access to farm inputs, had reduced his production costs and helped him increase yield, enabling him to cultivate more hectares and encouraging other farmers in his community to remain in farming.

Similarly, a sorghum farmer, Mr Yusuf Muhammad, said access to fertiliser and improved seeds had resulted in better crop performance and increased output. He appealed to the government to sustain the intervention and ensure inputs reach farmers early enough before the planting season.