By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’ of Borno State on. Monday in Dusuman, Jere Local Government Area, officially flagged-off the distribution of crop production input for the 2024 rainy season, for 26,750 farmers in the North East, with support from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Hon. Umar Usman Kadafur who is on acting capacity, he stated that government would continue to solicit the cooperation of international organisations, especially our international partners and non-governmental bodies in our determined efforts to address the multifarious challenges of development confronting the state.
He assured that government will continue to collaborate with development partners with a view to improving the well-being and livelihood of their people, while appreciating FAO and noting that government will continue to improve on the well-being and livelihood of their people.
The governor noted that it is a collaborative effort between the Borno State Government and the Food and Agricultural Organisation to help their people, especially those recently relocated back to their ancestral homes, to restart a meaningful livelihood and improve their productive capabilities.
According to him, “the inputs being distributed today include assorted improved seeds of cereals, legumes, maize and vegetables as well as bags of wet-blended NPK fertilizer which the distribution center s aimed at targeting subsistence and small-scale farmers, numbering about 26,750 of them in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba states where about half of the beneficiaries are however, from Borno State alone.
“The Borno State Government is indeed aware of the strategic role being played by the Food and Agricultural Organization, particularly in assisting victims of the insurgency and in our collective efforts to bring about viable and sustainable peace and security in the State.
“As you are aware, Borno State is essentially an agrarian State and majority of the people are engaged in various aspect of agricultural activities. The distribution 2. The inputs being distributed today include assorted improved seeds of cereals, legumes, maize and vegetables as well as bags of wet-blended NK fertilizer.
“The distribution aims at targeting subsistence and small-scale farmers, numbering about 26,750 of them in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba States. About half of the beneficiaries are however from Borno State alone.
“The Borno State Government is indeed aware of the strategic role being played by the Food and Agricultural Organization, particularly in assisting victims of the insurgency and in our collective efforts to bring about viable and sustainable peace and security in the State.
“Government would continue to solicit the cooperation of international organisations, especially our international partners and non-governmental bodies in our determined efforts to address the multifarious challenges of development confronting the state, with a view to improving the well-being and livelihood of our people.
“As you are aware, Borno State is essentially an agrarian State and majority of the people are engaged in various aspect of agricultural activities. The distribution of these crop production inputs will therefore encourage our farmers to be more determined in engaging in farming activities and towards having a reliable and dependable means of livelihood.
“I would, at this juncture, like to express our profound gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Food and Agriculture Organisation for their invaluable support and cooperation in the State Governments unquestionable determination to make our farmers self-reliant and ensure viable and sustainable food security in the State.
” Agricultural production is one of the cardinal policies of our Ten-Pact Agenda, which has also been strategically captured in the 25-year Development Plan and the ten-year Strategic Transformation Initiative.
“This administration is therefore ever ready and willing to improve not only the overall agricultural productivity in the State, but also to enhance the general standard of our rural farmers who constitute the majority of our teeming population.
“In order to achieve this objective, there is a compelling need for governments at all levels to collaborate with our international partners in working hard to end the humanitarian crises caused by the insurgency in our State.
“We shall continue to mobilise our scarce resources towards ensuring that thousands of our youths are either gainfully or given the opportunity to develop themselves through various means of self-employment.
“On a final note, I wish to reiterate this administrations unwavering resolve to continue to provide all the necessary agricultural inputs to all categories of our farmers in order to facilitate the effective implementation of our policy initiatives in the agricultural sector.
“I also wish to call on the people of the State, especially our religious and traditional leaders to continue to pray to Almighty Allah for a bumper harvest and insect-free farming season.I now have the honour and privilege to formally flag-off the distribution of the 2024 rainy season inputs,” Zulum said.
Earlier, the FAO Representative and interim in Nigeria and to ECOWAS, Mr. Dominique Koffy Kouacou at the launch of the 2024 Rainy Season Input Distribution in Northeast Nigeria with the Theme:,” Good Prospects for Improving Food Security” said ,”It is with gratitude and a sense of fulfillment that I address you today as we Launch the 2024 rainy season farm inputs distribution in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.”
He recalled that a few months ago in Abuja, the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, while presenting the result of the March 2024 cadre harmonized food security analysis for 26 states and the FCT, noted that 31.8 million people in the analyzed states are in food insecurity situation.
According to him, “Out of the projected population, 4.84 million people are in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states which shows an increase in number of people projected to experience high acute food insecurity compared to the 4.4 million reported during the October 2023 CH analysis.
“During that occasion, I made a commitment to support the country to strengthen the resilience capacity of the affected population, mainly in the NE region.
“All the vulnerable populations require protection interventions in addition to food, livelihood, and nutrition assistance.
“FAO and the Government of Borno, along with the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and players in the humanitarian sector have in one way or the other demonstrated commitment to rebuilding livelihoods in Borno and across the northeast.
“FAO has been implementing an extensive programme targeting IDPs, returnees and host communities in the three states most affected by the conflict in the northeast. FAO’s emergency strategy aims to strengthen the food production capacity of farming and agro-pastoral communities in conflict affected areas.
“FAOs vision of zero hunger as highlighted by the SDG2 guides our intervention through procurement and distribution of nutrient dense vegetables, cereals, and legume quality seeds and NPK fertilizers,” Dominique said.
He noted that this year, with the funding support from four financing partners including the governments of Norway, United States of America, Switzerland, and the European Commission, FAO is supporting 26,750 vulnerable households, including returning IDPS and their host communities with productive agriculture assets to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
The FAO Country Representative said that the 2024 intervention in Borno state will benefit 9,975 households across 7 Local Government Areas in the State, pointing out that, the support by FAO will help households mitigate the escalating food insecurity while at the same time build resilience of the returnees in the settled communities.
He said it is their expectation that these interventions will improve food production and income generation and build resilience among conflict-affected returnee households .
While appreciating the strong collaboration with Borno State Government with strong support from His Excellency Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum the Executive Governor of Borno State and his entire cabinet, especially the Secretary to the State Government, the Commissioners of Agriculture, Natural Resources, RRR, Environment, Women Affairs and all civil servants in the ministry, who serve as foot soldiers, working with us in the fields day by day.
The Borno State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Baawo represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry,Bulama Gana said the occasion is one of the yearly events in the activities of FAO that characterized distribution of crop production inputs to farmers in the State with the sole aim of curtailing problems face by farmers in accessing agricultural inputs.
He added that Borno State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in its desire to mechanize agriculture, increase food production and to ensure food security recently released 312 tractors and implements for the 2024 wet season.
“These machines are to cultivate farmlands in all the accessible farms across the State free of charge. Also worthy of commendation is the effort of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the provision of crop production inputs to farmers.
“I thank FAO for the support and the complementary efforts towards the agricultural transformation drive of the present administration under the able leadership of His Excellency Prof.
“Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO UN) in Borno State has been a dependable partner and must be commended for their untiring commitment towards providing livelihood support to the teeming population in the State,” Gana said.
