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FG Plans Dry Season Rice Farming, Tractors for Boosting Food Security

The Federal Government has announced the commencement of phase two of its support initiative for farmers, aimed at enhancing rice production and strengthening food security.

Speaking to State House correspondents on Tuesday, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed that over 400,000 farmers would benefit from the program, cultivating 200,000 hectares nationwide.

Kyari explained that dry-season rice farming will be carried out in irrigated areas across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“We are starting at the end of this month and early February in southern parts of the country, particularly in identified clusters for irrigation farming. This includes areas in the southern zone of north-central Nigeria, where rains begin earlier,” he said.

“For the northern parts, from the middle north-central to the upper north-east and north-west, farming activities will commence a month later, in February,” he added.

The minister also highlighted government interventions to promote food security, including the provision of tractors.

“Since October 2024, we have started receiving 2,000 tractors from Belarus. These tractors are arriving in Nigeria and will be assembled in Abuja before distribution to farmers,” Kyari stated.

Additionally, the federal government has signed an agreement to procure 2,000 John Deere tractors, worth $70 million, through the Nigeria Agricultural Development Fund.

Kyari clarified that no payments have been made for the John Deere tractors yet, but an upfront payment of 30% has already been made for the Belarus tractors.

The government aims to ensure the timely distribution of tractors and other resources to facilitate agricultural productivity and support farmers nationwide.

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