Farmers accuse agro dealers of sabotaging FG’s NAGS programme in Jigawa

Farmers in Jigawa State have accused agro-dealers of sabotaging the Federal Government’s National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS&AP) programme.

They made these claims while responding to questions from newsmen during a monitoring exercise of the distribution by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture at Dutse and Miga Local Government centers.

They stated that delays in the distribution of inputs could lead to significant losses, undermining the government’s efforts to achieve food security in the country.

The farmers alleged that some agro-dealers are involved in recycling the inputs, using agents to purchase the distributed items immediately after farmers receive them.

According to them, “These inputs are reportedly stored for other beneficiaries, forcing many farmers to wait for over ten days to access their shares.”

The State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Jigawa, Sale Saidu, clarified that the programme is aimed at supporting small-scale farmers to produce substantial food for both the state and the nation.

He stated that under the scheme, farmers are provided with fertilizers, agrochemicals, and improved seeds at subsidized rates to reduce their reliance on loans.

Saidu disclosed that the programme targets 80,000 farmers across the state, but only 60,000 have been registered so far.

“The distribution of inputs, particularly for wheat farming, was planned for a two-week period but has been hampered by ICT network issues and delays in transporting inputs to distribution centres.”

“The ministry is working hard to improve the situation for easy access to the inputs. We urge farmers to cooperate with us as efforts are being made to address the challenges,” Saidu said.

He also encouraged farmers to use the inputs appropriately to achieve the programme’s objectives and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, to boosting food production in the country.

The NAGS&AP initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to ensure sustainable food production and agricultural development across Nigeria.