Follow Us on Google
From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has said the true measure of its ongoing fertilizer distribution will not be the number of bags shared, but the impact on food production and household incomes across the state.
Governor Bassey Otu, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Andiambey Ebokpo, stated this during the flag-off of fertilizer distribution to farmers under the Farm Input Support Programme, FISP, in Calabar.
“We will measure fertilizer success by food on your tables, not bags. The real success will be seen in the farms, in increased production, improved yields, better incomes for farmers and more food for our people”, Ebokpo said.
The intervention is being implemented by the National Agricultural Development Fund, NADF, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and about 8,000 farmers will receive 20,000 bags of fertilizer.
Ebokpo said the state government followed the FISP framework in identifying beneficiaries to ensure the process was transparent, coordinated and targeted at genuine farmers who meet the requirements.
He added that following the flag-off in Calabar, the ministry will work with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, and local government agricultural officers to ensure seamless and orderly distribution across the 18 LGAs.
Other News
The commissioner noted that the programme aligns with Governor Otu’s “People First Agenda” which places agriculture at the centre of development.
“Through this administration, we have continued to invest in mechanisation, coffee revolution, oil palm, seed yam multiplication, and irrigation because we understand that a productive agricultural sector means more food, more jobs and stronger rural economies,” he said.
Ebokpo also commended President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to transforming agriculture under the Renewed Hope Agenda, and urged beneficiary farmers to make responsible use of the inputs.
National Agriculture Development Fund, NADF, Team Lead, Lekan Alabi, said the intervention aligns with the presidential agenda on agriculture.
“The importance is that we are looking forward to food security and sustainability. I must also confirm that the success of this determines the next phase,” he said.
State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Sampson Maddy George, said the distribution has debunked rumours of diversion as the fertilizer is intact.
