FCTA flags off sale of subsidised farm inputs

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has flagged off the sale of subsidized inputs to farmers in the (FCT).

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, performed the exercise yesterday when he visited Gwagwalada Area Council.

The minister, who was represented by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, said farm inputs such as water pumps, sprayers and agro chemicals would be sold to each beneficiary at 50% subsidized price.

“The essence of this exercise today is to provide support to FCT farmers through provision of critical agricultural inputs in order to improve food production and income to farmers. The administration has procured enough inputs for all-year round farming activities,” he said.

Malam Bello said the FCT Administration would soon commence upgrading of facilities in 11 Agro Services Centres of the six area councils, adding that the initiative will ease farmers’ access to high quality inputs.

The minister explained that already, the FCT Administration has demonstrated its readiness to ensure that farmers have seamless access to agricultural inputs by keying into the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchors Borrowers’ Scheme as well as the revised Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) of the Federal Government, among others.

He charged farmers’ groups and cooperative societies to take advantage of other agricultural programmes of the FCT such as Agric Land Development Programme in Kwali Area Council, subsidized tractors and Implements to farmers’ groups and individual corporate farmers as well as the Back-to-Land programme, all geared towards providing jobs for interested youth and women.