The Kaduna State Government has commenced the distribution of free fertiliser to 150,000 smallholder farmers across the state as part of efforts to boost agricultural productivity, improve farmers’ livelihoods and strengthen food security.
A statement from the state ministry of information said the exercise is being implemented through 69 redemption centres, with three centres in each of the state’s 23 local government areas.
Speaking during an inspection of the Gadan Gayan Redemption Centre in Igabi Local Government Area, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Malam Murtala Dabo, said fertiliser had been delivered to warehouses across the state, while security and IT personnel had been deployed to ensure a transparent distribution process. He explained that each verified beneficiary would receive two bags of fertiliser through a technology-driven system. “Each beneficiary will receive a message informing them where to redeem two bags of fertiliser provided by the Governor for the 2026 wet season. The coupon will be verified, the beneficiary’s details and photograph captured, and the fertiliser handed over,” he said.
Dabo urged beneficiaries to apply the fertiliser directly to their farms and warned against diversion or resale. “This fertiliser is not for sale. Anyone found selling it will be arrested and prosecuted. The support is specifically for smallholder farmers,” he said.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, said the intervention reflects Governor Uba Sani’s increased investment in agriculture, noting that the sector’s budget has risen from about N1.4 billion, representing less than one per cent of the state budget, to over N100 billion in 2026, representing 11.6 per cent. He said the administration had also supported farmers with fertiliser, tractors, solar-powered boreholes and pumping machines to strengthen both wet and dry-season farming.
A beneficiary from Dandami, Birnin Yero Ward, AbdulHamid Muhammad, expressed gratitude to the government, saying the fertiliser arrived at the right time for his maize farm. “I planted maize and needed fertiliser. It arrived at exactly the right time. I thank Almighty God and Governor Uba Sani for this support,” he said. The Chairman of Igabi Local Government Area, Sani Abdul, also commended the initiative, noting that about 80 per cent of the area’s population depends on farming.
