The Federal Government says it has completed the distribution of certified seeds and inputs to 150 rice farmers in Sokoto State to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Abdullahi Faruq-Na’abu, a Representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the state, made this known to the Newsmen on Monday in Sokoto.
Faruq-Na’abu said the gesture done, in collaboration with the Japan International Agency (JICA), was to be part of the inputs donated to 1,500 farmers across 10 states in the country.
He said each of the farmers got 50kg of certified rice seedlings and other inputs for a hectare of farmland.
According to him, other items include four bags of NPK fertilizer, two bags of Urea fertilizer, one liter of soil amender, four liters of pesticide, and five liters of pre-planting and post-emergence herbicides.
He added that the support was in line with Federal Government’s commitment towards enhancing agricultural development for food security and job creation.
Faruk-Na’abu urged benefiting farmers to make judicious use of the inputs as well as support their farming communities.