FG distributes inputs to farmers in Imo

Iwunze recently told Daily Trust that the ministry was envisaging over 50,000 farmers to benefit from the inputs, saying the gesture was in line with the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme.He said in 2012, the ministry gave out farm inputs to 9,000 farmers in the state, while in 2013 it distributed the inputs to over […]

Iwunze recently told Daily Trust that the ministry was envisaging over 50,000 farmers to benefit from the inputs, saying the gesture was in line with the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme.
He said in 2012, the ministry gave out farm inputs to 9,000 farmers in the state, while in 2013 it distributed the inputs to over 23,000 farmers.
He said the Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, took the measures considering the low productivity observed arising from unavailability of fertilisers and other inputs.
The director disclosed that since this year, farmers in the state have been receiving seeds from the ministry ranging from rice, maize, oil palm, cassava cotton, banana improved suckers and nets.
He said the ministry always ensured that the seeds were certified by the National Agricultural Seeds Council before distributing them to farmers.
On fertiliser, Iwunze said the ministry has given out assorted fertilisers to farmers in the state at subsidised rate, adding that a bag of fertiliser which is sold in the market between N5, 000 and N6,000, is sold by the ministry for N3,500 under the GES programne.
The director said the ministry has set up 3 palm nurseries in the state, located at Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, Ministry for Agriculture nursery, Nekede and at a private palm oil nursery at Akwakuma.
He said that the nursery at Umuagwo has 26,000 sprouted nut already raised to seedlings, while the nursery at the Imo State Ministry for Agriculture at Nekede has 85,288 sprouted nuts raised seedlings and  the nursery at Akwakuma has 27,000 sprouted nuts raised to seedlings.