The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development Mustapha Baba Shehuri has flagged off the distribution of Agricultural inputs to smallholders farmers in Gombe, as part of the Ministry intervention to reduce the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural production in Nigeria.
While flagging off the distribution of the inputs in Gombe, the Minister expressed readiness to collaborate with the State government other relevant stakeholders to assist in ensuring food security, economic growth and Job creation, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mustapha Baba Shehuri, said that the restrictions of movement and goods and services have negatively impacted food supply chains and incomes on the livelihood of the people across the country, particularly smallholders who are the most vulnerable.
The Minister noted that, all the seeds, agrochemicals and equipment are being given to farmers free of charge to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and flood on the affected farmers, saying that the effort and other complementary intervention by different stakeholders.
The federal government will also continue to encourage the resilience of farmers and boost the national food security system in the country.
Speaking at the occasion, governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said about seventy-five percent of people in Gombe State are peasant farmers and the gesture would go a long way in assisting the farmers with quality inputs that would enable them to sustain their livelihood.
The agricultural inputs distributed includes 2.5 metrics tone groundnut seeds, 5. Gum Arabic seedlings, 15.metric tons of rice seeds and 1,500kg of cashew nuts among others.
