The North East Development Commission (NEDC) is to distribute hybrid seeds and farm inputs to household farmers in Borno. The inputs to be distributed include 1,500 bags each of fertilizers, rice seeds; fungicides and 465 cartons of herbicides to reduce farmers’ post-harvest losses. While launching the distribution on Monday in Maiduguri, NEDC’s Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali disclosed that agriculture has the potential of creating more wealth and job opportunities to unemployed youths. According to him, the commission shall commence the implementation of an integrated agricultural programme in 2021 farming season.
“We’ll distribute farm inputs, including rice seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides to boost productivity and prevent post-harvest losses of farmers,” he said. He said that farm machineries and other agricultural equipment are being provided to boost capacities of smallholder farmers in the state. Other farm inputs to be distributed include 250 sachets of Chile pepper seeds to increase farm yields. On farmers’ sustenance of productivity, he said: “The commission is developing a robust Master Plan tagged: North-East Stabilization and Development Master Plan,” noting that as some states developed their respective development plans on peculiar and development needs, NEDC will integrate the various plans of the six states.
According to him, the integration was to produce a fully harmonized Regional Master Plan for the North-East.
