Follow Us on Google
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has disclosed that for years, farmers bore the brunt of cultivation without meaningful assistance.
The government stated that the biggest shift is not the volume of inputs, but the structure of agricultural delivery.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari, stated this at the flag off of 10 million bags of fertiliser to smallholder farmers in Zaria, Kaduna State, saying the inputs are delivered under the Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund (RH-SVCF)
He also, announced a Guaranteed Price Model for 2 million smallholder farmers nationwide.
He said: “From now on, there is an institution beside you when you plant, and an institution beside you when you sell.
“For generations, farmers carried every risk alone. They borrowed to plant. They prayed for rain. And at harvest, they met a buyer who knew they were desperate. What changes today?”
Kyari who noted that one third of the beneficiaries are women, highlighted that under the new design, every farmer will be linked to a Farmer Aggregation Company, with Arzikin Noma, a Farmer Aggregation Company, leading the flag-off in Zaria.
He stressed that the timing was critical, saying “fertilizer in August is a different commodity from fertilizer in July.”
He said inputs were delivered in mid-July, right as the rains set in, to ensure that farmers do not plant late.
According to him, beyond delivery, the aggregator will stay with the farmer through the entire cycle.
“This means providing certified seed, fertilizer, and extension support from land preparation to harvest. At the end of the season, the same aggregator becomes the pathway to market, buying at a Guaranteed Minimum Price approved by government.
“That price, is a floor “below which the farmer’s sweat cannot be bought.”
He explained that the model aligns the interest of the farmer and the company. “The farmer’s success and the company’s success become the same thing.”
He added that with Arzikin Noma’s investment in local processing, “what our farmers grow will become food and feed here at home,” deepening the value chain and food security.
Kyari also tied the new scheme to the history of the host city. “Zaria has been farming city for as long as anyone can remember. This is where the best seeds were selected. This is where farming methods were refined and passed on. Zaria taught farming to much of this country.”
He noted that just down the road, the Institute for Agricultural Research at Samaru has for decades tested varieties, trained extension agents, and shown farmers what is possible. “Today’s flag-off connects that work to the field. Research meets the farmer. Inputs meet the rains. And the harvest meets a market.”
The Minister commended the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, for “delivery after delivery,” noting that inputs were on the ground in the very week the season demands them.
He said Arzikin Noma had grown from fewer than 3,000 farmers to over 400,000, with a target of 1 million by 2030.
Reiterating the Ministry’s commitment, Kyari emphasized that the Ministry is fully aligned to farmers’ success under this new model.
“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security stands squarely behind the farmer. We will not abandon you at planting. We will not abandon you at harvest.
“A nation that cannot feed itself holds its independence on loan,” he added, stressing that putting the farmer first “is not sentiment. It is strategy.”
He urged farmers to “farm well this season, and hold us to our word,” noting that government will be judged “not by what is said today, but by what happens after the canopies are folded.”
Group Managing Director, Arzikin Noma, Africa, Adeoluwa Michael Adeshola revealed that “we didn’t start this company because we wanted to sell agricultural inputs. We started because we believed there had to be a better way to support the people who feed this country.
“Over time, we’ve learnt something very important, agriculture is not just about what happens on the farm, It is about finance. It is about logistics. It is about storage. It is about markets. It is about trust. Most importantly, it is about people.
“No organization, not even Arzikin Noma can transform agriculture alone, Government has a role. Development partners have a role. Financial institutions have a role. Traditional institutions have a role. The private sector has a role ‘’
Also, Managing Director, Bank of Agriculture Limited, Ayodeji Sotinrin stated that the ‘’BOA is building an ecosystem where farmers have access to quality inputs, affordable financing, mechanization support, aggregation systems, structured markets, and value chain partnerships that improve productivity and increase incomes’’.
Sotinrin added that ‘’Agricultural transformation is not achieved through isolated interventions. It happens when every part of the value chain works together, from production to processing, from financing to market access, to create an environment where farmers can thrive’’.
He revealed that ‘’ the programme is designed to reach 2 million smallholder farmers across Nigeria, deploy over 10 million bags of fertilizer, and ensure that farmers receive quality inputs at the right time and in the right quantities to improve productivity.”
According to him, ‘’to date, close to 300,000 farmers have been on boarded into the programme. More than 1.1 million bags of fertilizer and over 16,470 metric tonnes of improved seeds are being deployed through 20 Farmer Aggregation Companies operating across more than 20 states of the Federation. Behind this delivery network are 15 accredited input suppliers, creating jobs, strengthening local businesses, and keeping economic activity within our rural communities’’.
