Kano procures 630 trucks of fertiliser for 2026 farming season

The Kano State Government has procured 630 trucks of fertiliser for distribution to farmers ahead of this year’s farming season. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Danjuma Mahmud, told Weekend Trust that the fertilisers were jointly procured by the state government and local government councils and would be sold at highly subsidised rates […]

The Kano State Government has procured 630 trucks of fertiliser for distribution to farmers ahead of this year’s farming season.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Danjuma Mahmud, told Weekend Trust that the fertilisers were jointly procured by the state government and local government councils and would be sold at highly subsidised rates to support farmers recovering from losses suffered during the last farming season.
He said the state government alone procured 175 trucks at N9 billion.
“If you include what we are going to distribute in the next couple of weeks, the state, in partnership with local governments, has procured 630 trucks of fertiliser. The governor also decided to give more than 60 trucks free to farmers because we want people to return to the farms,” the commissioner said.
Mahmud added that the state was expecting additional assorted fertilisers, including Urea and NPK, from the federal government.

Climate-smart farming initiatives
In addition to fertiliser, he said the state was working with relevant stakeholders to provide climate-smart seeds to farmers in order to reduce losses caused by irregular rainfall and changing weather conditions.
According to him, the state’s 1,500 extension workers — the highest number employed by any state in the country — will continue to advise farmers on weather conditions and the best planting periods.

Irrigation expansion
The commissioner said the state government had recovered 1,230 acres of cultivable irrigation land at Kadawa Farm as part of its policy to expand irrigation farming.
He disclosed that a two-kilometre dam capable of holding up to three billion cubic litres of water was under construction to irrigate about 1,250 acres of channelised farmland in Dansoshiya sorest.
“Work has reached an advanced stage, and the governor has approved a connected route that will allow the evacuation of farm produce within the same irrigation facility,” he said.
Mahmud further said that Kano had small irrigation dams in 11 local government areas, including Albasu, Shanono, Gari, Dawakin Kudu, Rogo and Bichi.
The combined irrigation capacity of these small earth dams is about 1,200 acres, he said.
“In some cases, we now have a new design that will allow about 2,000 acres of irrigable land within the villages,” he added.
The commissioner said the state would soon deploy mechanised farm equipment, including combined harvesters, tractors, transplanters, sprayers, small and large rice mills and solar-powered irrigation pumps.
“Buying fossil fuel for irrigation is no longer cost-effective, so we secured a good number of solar irrigation pumps for distribution to cooperatives,” he said.
To address farmer-herder conflicts, Mahmud said the ministry had demarcated about 1,300 kilometres of cattle routes across the state.
“The project has achieved a lot in reducing clashes between farmers and herders,” he said.
Recall that the 2026 weather forecast by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) predicted prolonged dry spells and a severe August break in some parts of the country. The forecast has raised concerns among farmers who fear a repeat of the widespread post-harvest losses recorded last year due to rising cost of fertilisers, seeds and agrochemicals unless the government provides subsidies.