Chukwu Obinna 
DUTSE, Nigeria – The Federal Government distributes farm machinery and agro-inputs free of charge to small-scale farmers in Jigawa State as part of emergency measures to combat Nigeria’s food crisis.
Speaking at the distribution ceremony on Thursday, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Abubakar Kyari say the intervention targets farmers struggling with rising production costs.
“Our priority is to ease access to essential inputs and machinery for smallholders constrained by high market prices,” Kyari says through his representative, Yarima Yakubu.
Beneficiaries receive power tillers, rice reapers, combine harvesters, fertilizers, herbicides and sprayers, distributed through cooperatives and commodity associations. The programme includes persons with disabilities and internally displaced farmers.
Kyari says the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on food security and the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We urge beneficiaries to use these inputs responsibly to boost national food production,” he adds.
Jigawa Agriculture Commissioner Muttaka Namadi welcomed the intervention, describing agriculture as central to the state’s development agenda.
Farmers’ groups praise the programme, calling it timely amid rising food prices and climate pressures.
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Hussaini Ibrahim 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 