The Plateau Government has procured 500 truckloads of fertiliser to be sold to farmers in the state at a subsidised rate.
Gov. Caleb Mutfwang disclosed this at the official commencement of the sale of the essential input to farmers on Friday in Jos.
The governor directed that fertiliser should be sold at a subsidised rate of N20,000 per bag to farmers in the state.
He insisted that the gesture aimed at supporting farmers and ensuring food security in the state.
Mutfwang said that the fertilisers were procured with public funds, adding that the government would continue to initiate programmes that meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.
“This is why I approved the reduction in the price of the fertiliser to N20,000 because we want to make sure that everybody has access to this essential product.
“This is also a way of compensating our farmers for the loss they suffered last year, because last year the prices of foodstuff went down drastically.
“Therefore, I have the honour and the pleasure to officially inaugurate the sale of fertiliser for this season for the benefit of the people who live and farm on the Plateau,” he said.
The governor also promised that the government would buy off farm products from farmers in the state, adding that such a move would enable farmers to get value for money.
“By the grace of God, we have made arrangements that this year we will buy whatever our farmers harvest from their farms, so that they will not be molested in the market by middlemen,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Samson Bugama, the Commissioner for Agriculture, assured the governor that the fertiliser would get to registered farmers in the state.
Bugama, who said that the process for the collection had been digitised, explained that 18 points of collection had been designated across the state for farmers to access the product.
